As the Browns wrapped up Day 10 of training camp, uncertainty loomed. They were looking forward to gearing up for their joint practice with the Panthers on Aug. 6 and the preseason opener game later, but a major wrench was thrown into the mix. Several of their QBs have injury concerns: Kenny Pickett is still dealing with his hamstring issues; Rookie Dillon Gabriel, too, is facing the same health concern, and on Day 10, he was a limited participant in the Browns’ training camp; Then rookie Shedeur Sanders sat out on the team drills on Aug. 2 due to arm soreness, but came back for practice on Day 10.

That doesn’t sound promising. 40-year-old Joe Flacco is the only quarterback who didn’t miss any training time because of injury. And in a shocking move, the team decided to sign Tyler Huntley to their already crowded QB room. Right now, it looks like despite signing Huntley, Flacco will end up starting the preseason opener, and HC Kevin Stefanski didn’t envision this when camp started on a four-way quarterback battle note. “No, I didn’t,” Stefanski confessed a day ago.

Now, the uphill climb gets steeper, especially for Gabriel. For a rookie who has been eyeing the starter position and has failed to impress during practice drills, this is a tough place to be in. The good part is that Stefanski doesn’t think the hamstring issue is a long-term one. “He’ll be out here, just a little bit of tightness,” the HC said on Monday. “Injuries are a part of this game… They’re frustrating from the standpoint of when you lose a guy for a good amount of time, you feel that’s tough on the players. But the dealing with injuries, adjusting because injuries, that’s just part of the game.” But here’s the concerning part:

Zac Jackson of The Athletic reported on Sunday that Dillon Gabriel has not done anything in camp to convince the training staff that he can even be their backup QB. On the other hand, Shedeur Sanders has shown more throwing accuracy, though he hasn’t been consistent. And if things move the same way, there is a possibility the HC might depend on Sanders to play sometime late in the season.

If that indeed happens, Stefanski’s gamble on Gabriel might prove to be wrong. He invested early in the QB to see if he would be ready to play.

Dillon Gabriel reveals key challenges

The numbers tell part of the story: a 3-of-14 day in team drills on Friday, a 1-of-6 follow-up on Saturday. But Dillon Gabriel says the key isn’t just chasing good days, it’s building something sustainable. “Great question, because you always want results, but I think more than anything, it’s consistent results,” Gabriel said after practice. “If you don’t have a process you can truly hang your hat on, then you’re leaving it up to chance. Maybe it’s more inconsistent, rather than having a strong process.”

Gabriel admitted that camp has been a mix of highs and lows. “You know how the game of football goes. There’s a lot of positives, there may be some negatives,” he explained. “But there’s also something to pride yourself on, your process, how you work, how you approach it.” For him, the focus now is sticking to that approach, even as the results haven’t come as quickly as hoped.

The rookie stressed that in the NFL, the process eventually produces results, but time is not unlimited. “You want to see results, and it will come. But it’s a results-based business, so you’ve got to go do it. No excuses. Know what to do and do it. That’s the approach.” With Shedeur Sanders returning from arm soreness and Gabriel now managing hamstring tightness, the window for proving himself is narrowing for Dillon. What do you think?