PHILADELPHIA — The quarterback was again the topic du jour for the Browns in their second preseason game, a 22-13 win at the Philadelphia Eagles.
Part of that topic was that it wasn’t fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders in the game. Sanders suffered an oblique strain during an Aug. 13 joint practice and has been day-to-day.
That left the door open for third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, who has been recovering from his own injury issues. The hamstring soreness that limited him the week of the Carolina Panthers joint practice and preseason game had healed enough for him to be a full participant in both joint practices against Philadelphia.
It was apparently well enough for coach Kevin Stefanski to finally announce publicly hours before the 1 p.m. kickoff. The alternative was to simply play Tyler Huntley all four quarters if both rookie quarterbacks couldn’t play.
Joe Flacco was a healthy scratch for the game, which was expected after the two joint practices with the Eagles Aug. 13-14. Kenny Pickett was also limited due to the hamstring injury he’s been fighting since July 26.
Here’s a breakdown how Sanders and Huntley did in the preseason opener against the Panthers:
How did Dillon Gabriel perform against the Philadelphia Eagles?
It was a mostly positive start for Gabriel. He completed his first four passes to help led the Browns on an opening scoring drive and had three total scoring drives over his five drives at the helm.
The problem was the two drives that didn’t result in scores, at least for the Browns. His second possession was very promising until he forced a throw and safety Andrew Mukuba intercepted the pass and returned it 75 yards for the Eagles touchdown.
Gabriel was also credited for a fumble on a botched handoff to Pierre Strong Jr. That fumble set up an Eagles touchdown.
Still, Gabriel executed a field goal drive over the final 1:57 of the half. He had multiple drives into Philadelphia territory.
Gabriel’s stats were 13-of-18 for 143 yards with an interception and a 72.2 passer rating. He was sacked twice.
How did Tyler Huntley perform against the Philadelphia Eagles?
Huntley started the second half as the Browns’ quarterback and did his job. He was, if nothing else, efficient over the quarters of the football he played.
There was a miss on a fourth-and-2 throw from the Philadelphia 10, although the play would’ve been negated by an offsides penalty on Cleveland.
The veteran finished 10 of 13 for 71 yards.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns at Eagles preseason game | How quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel, Tyler Huntley played
Reporting by Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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