The Cleveland Browns are in full preparation for the regular season as they enter day two of joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles. Tony Grossi reported yesterday that it was a sloppy day for the offense with penalties and drops, and noted that the defensive line wreaked havoc in team drills on Wednesday.
#Browns had 2 drops in the opening red zone 11 on 11s, one by Harold Fannin Jr. from Flacco and one by TE Brendan Bates on a slightly wide out route from Gabriel.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) August 14, 2025
It was no different on Thursday for the offense as the drops continued for the offense including a touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to Harold Fannin Jr. While the offense was surprisingly clean in the preseason game vs. the Carolina Panthers, the drops are alarming as we get closer and closer to the regular season.
Let’s hope that at this point, the last two days of joint practices aren’t a reality check for what this offense is. While it was exciting to watch Shedeur Sanders look good against the weak Carolina Panthers defense, the Eagles are an elite unit and appear to be giving the Browns fits.
While we are all excited to see Dillon Gabriel potentially get his first snaps on Saturday in the preseason game, it’s important to remember it may not be a fair comparison to what Sanders did the week prior. Most fans aren’t rational enough to do that, but if the Eagles’ starting defense does play for a series or two, it will be far different than Sanders going against the Panthers’ first-team.