Shedeur Sanders injury update: Browns hold rookie QB out of practice with throwing scare

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders reportedly suffered an oblique injury while throwing during Wednesday’s preseason practice and was held out the remainder of the session, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The injury comes just days after Sanders had a breakout performance in his first start as a professional quarterback, when the 2025 fifth-round pick out of Colorado completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in Friday’s preseason game against the Panthers. Sanders also tallied 19 rushing yards on four carries.

While the severity of Sanders’ oblique injury isn’t clear yet, the lost of valuable practice reps could be viewed as a detriment to any progress made in last week’s preseason game. Sanders continues to battle for opportunities in the Browns’ loaded quarterback room that also includes veterans Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and newly-signed Tyler Huntley, as well as fellow rookie and third-round pick Dillon Gabriel out of Oregon.

Browns QB Shedeur Sanders suffered an oblique injury while throwing during the early portion of practice today, and was held out for the rest of the session.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 13, 2025

Shedeur Sanders jokes about lack of practice reps after breakout NFL debut: ‘I guess this is my practice’

Shedeur Sanders wowed fans in his NFL preseason debut on Friday evening. Ahead of the game, there were reports that Sanders hadn’t received first-team reps at practice and had been forced to throw against equipment staff members at training camp. After the Browns’ 30-10 win over the Carolina Panthers, Sanders addressed these rumors.

“I’m not really concerned about that at all,” Sanders said. “I only can control what I’m able to do and get out there. And this was reps for me. This was a lot of reps, overall, for me. So, I guess this is my practice. And I feel like practice went good today. We won.”

Until this past week, Sanders wasn’t expected to start in the Browns’ preseason opener. He is currently listed as the fourth quarterback on the Browns’ depth chart, trailing behind Flacco, Pickett and Gabriel — in that order.

Alas, Sanders was named the Browns’ preseason starter after Pickett and Gabriel suffered injuries in training camp. Sanders didn’t allow his opportunity to go to waste and left the sports world buzzing, with stars like LeBron James congratulating the rookie QB on his performance.

Despite the outside praise, Sanders wasn’t completely satisfied with his performance. Moreover, he believes fans can expect to see more from him in the future.

“I’m just getting my feet wet. That’s it,” Sanders said. “This is a good practice showing, overall. I feel like I did everything I could tonight. I feel like there’s definitely room for improvement in many areas, overall… When you don’t play for so long and you get back out there, you gotta find your rhythm. You gotta find your groove.

“It’s the first time for everything. It’s the first time not even having Pops as a coach, where he knows me you know what I mean? So, it’s definitely changed and it’s definitely different… I’m just thankful for the opportunity.”

— On3’s Grant Grubbs contributed to this report.