Eagles-Browns joint practice takeaways: Cleveland QB battle has clear favorite; Dillon Gabriel finishes strong

PHILADELPHIA -- A hot and humid two days at the NovaCare Complex have come and gone, as the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns got some hefty work in during the two joint practices this week. The joint practices are always a good measuring stick for teams, as both look to get some good work against against another scheme before the regular season begins.

This was a good week for the Browns, who may not have the most talented roster in the NFL but played above their talent level against the Eagles. The Browns fought hard against the Eagles all week, especially on defense as they gave the Eagles offense fits up front (Philadelphia had Lane Johnson and Saquon Barkley sit out Thursday while Landon Dickerson and A.J. Brown missed both days). 

Joe Flacco gave the offense some good work against the Eagles defense, getting the continuity he discussed after the first practice on Wednesday. Neither Kenny Pickett nor Shedeur Sanders partook in any team drills, taking some fun out of the four-man quarterback battle.

Yes there is a preseason game on Saturday, but this is where the action was over the last two days. These are the biggest takeaways from Thursday's joint practice (Wednesday's takeaways are available here). 

Browns may have Week 1 starter

Injuries have clearly influenced how the Browns quarterback competition has been going, an advantage taken by Flacco to jump ahead of the pack. Flacco was the first-team quarterback throughout the 11-on-11 drills in Day 2 of practice, getting all the reps against the Eagles' first-team defense. 

Flacco was on a mission to prove he should be starting for the Browns in Week 1, and is the clear front-runner for the job. At the end of the 11-on-11s, Flacco threw a nice touch pass to David Njoku for the touchdown -- as Njoku beat Eagles linebacker Jihaad Campbell on the out route with safety Reed Blankenship also trailing the tight end. Flacco put his hands up as he threw the pass to Njoku, knowing the play was going for six. Njoku celebrated in style with his teammates. 

That wasn't the only touchdown Flacco threw in the final 11-on-11 session. He threw a quick pass to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. as running back Dylan Sampson was awkwardly trailing behind him. Fannin flipped the pass to Sampson for the score, fooling the Eagles defense. Flacco ended his day with a touchdown pass to Jamari Thrash for a touchdown, giving him three touchdowns on his final six passes.

This quarterback job is clearly Flacco's to lose. He should be starting in Week 1. 

Shedeur Sanders' debut with Browns nearly breaks TV viewership record for an NFL Network preseason game

John Breech

About Dillon Gabriel

With Pickett (hamstring) still limited and Sanders (oblique) only taking part in warmups, all the second-team reps went to Gabriel. The practice started slow for the third-round pick in 11-on-11s, as Gabriel threw a pass down the middle of the field in the first team session where no one was in sight (think the pass may have been intended for Jerry Jeudy). The Browns offense was significantly more efficient with Flacco than Gabriel.

Then the lights went on for the rookie quarterback, and Gabriel showcased his potential. Gabriel stood in the pocket and fired a pass over the middle of the field to Fannin, a perfect throw over Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba for the touchdown. Of the throws from the Browns quarterbacks in the joint session, that may have been the best one. 

Gabriel should have had another touchdown pass to end the practice, as he fired a strike to wide receiver Diontae Johnson -- who ran an excellent in-and-out route. Johnson bobbled the ball twice, before the pass landed in the hands of Mukuba -- who he beat on the play that should have been a score. 

Was Gabriel great in this practice? No, but he had a strong finish. There's a chance he's the Browns' starting quarterback for Saturday's preseason game with Pickett and Sanders still recovering from injuries (Flacco won't play). 

In awe of Myles Garrett

This practice was more of a focus on the Browns offense and the Eagles defense on the middle field, but Myles Garrett was box-office material on the first practice field (which is hardly a surprise to anyone). After a dominant first day against the Eagles offensive line, Garrett was even better on Day 2 -- enough where he was a one-man wrecking crew. 

The Eagles had Johnson sit out this practice, so Garrett got to go up against Matt Pryor -- who was the backup swing tackle for this practice. Garrett dominated the session, whether he was facing Pryor or Jordan Mailata, finishing with multiple "sacks" on the day on Jalen Hurts. There were at least five "wins" for Garrett in the 11-on-11 sessions, whether it was getting around the edge or using his inside move to get to Hurts. 

Mailata did not have a good day against Garrett, this comes one day after Garrett wore him out on the extremely hot and humid day one of the joint practice sessions. Thursday wasn't as bad with the heat, but Garrett clearly had the edge over Mailata. Remember, this is the Eagles offensive line Garrett is having his way against -- even if Johnson was held out of the practice.

Sydney Brown the missile

Brown is in a battle for the starting safety job opposite of Reed Blankenship, and was with the first-team defense when the Eagles ran a nickel package (Cooper DeJean moved to the slot). When the Eagles put Brown in the box or allow him to play downhill, the big hits are there -- and they can impact the opposing offense. 

Brown had a monster hit on Fannin that was on a quick out route. Flacco delivered the pass right to Fannin, but Brown was there to give him a thundering hit out of bounds. Brown also closed in on Sampson in a red zone drill during 11-on-11s, and would have popped him as he was near the goal line if this was a live tackling session.

When Brown can't play downhill, he's a bit neutered in coverage. That's the part of his game Brown needs to improve on based on how his young Eagles career has gone, but he can certainly provide a swagger to the defense based on his instincts and ability to find the football. 

If Brown can clean some things up, he can start at safety in Week 1. He's ahead of Mukuba at this juncture, as Mukuba had an up-and-down day against the Browns' first- and second-team offense. 

Eagles CB battle

The cornerback battle has heated up between Kelee Ringo and Adoree' Jackson with Jakorian Bennett entering the picture. There was an interesting development in Thursday's practice with the Browns when watching the first-team defense line up.

Ringo didn't take any snaps with the first unit, as the starter for the early portion of camp was strictly on the second team. Jackson got the start with the first team and played the majority of the first-team reps, while Bennett had some first-team looks in the 11-on-11 sessions at outside cornerback opposite of Quinyon Mitchell. 

Jackson was beaten in coverage on a deep out route by Jeudy, but Flacco also threw an excellent strike to his top wide receiver. That was a "negative play," but Jackson also was in position on multiple passes and took away some targets. Jackson is the favorite to win this CB2 job at the moment, but Bennett is also getting more looks as these practices go. 

Mitchell was the pregame talk among Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and how good he was on their defense. The Browns decided to test Mitchell with Jeudy, as Jeudy beat Mitchell on a quick slant for a touchdown late in the 11-on-11s. On the next play, Jeudy beat Mitchell again as the Eagles cornerback slipped. Mitchell got back in position to contest Jeudy on the out route as Flacco threw the ball high and out of range. Mitchell had a good two days of practice as CB1. 

The Eagles do have an issue at CB2 at the moment, as the joint practices with the Browns were supposed to be a good inticator how the battle will play out. Right now, Jackson may be the default option.