PHILADELPHIA — Shedeur Sanders will be out for at least a little while with his oblique strain, Kevin Stefanski said Thursday, and fellow rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel is expected to start Saturday’s second preseason game against the Eagles.

Gabriel is still dealing with his injured hamstring, and will only miss the start if the muscle doesn’t cooperate, or if it’s sore after Thursday’s second joint practice against the Eagles.

Steefanski acknowledged that the Browns will err on the side of caution with Sanders considering that the oblique muscles, on the sides of the abdomen, are crucial in the throwing motion.

“He felt it early I think warming up and then felt it throughout Individuals and we took a look at it,” Stefanski said before the second joint practice. “If it’s a right guard, you can play through that. When it’s a quarterback, you kind of need that muscle to throw. So unfortunately we’re going to put him down for a little bit here. We will treat it day to day and see how he responds. But want to be smart? He’s a thrower so you can’t push that thing.”

Stefanski declined to officially rule Sanders out for the Eagles game but it’s obvious he’s not playing. The only two QBs currently available for that game are Gabriel and Tyler Huntley.

Joe Flacco will sit out for the second straight week, and Kenny Pickett is still abstaining from 11-on-11s with his hamstring injury and won’t play.

Stefanski acknowledged that Sanders’ injury represents a setback for him in the four-way competition, in which Flacco is the only one not to have suffered an injury.

“Injuries stink for all these guys,” Stefanski said. “They don’t want to miss a rep for any reason, but there’s a way to continue to prepare, continue to get better. Even when you’re not getting those reps up because of injuries.”

He noted that an oblique injury impacts a quarterback probably more than any other position on the team.

“I think it’s just with throwers and pitchers and guys that torque and twist their body, you’ve got to be really careful,” he said.

With Gabriel still not 100% because of the tight hamstring, Stefanski might be faced with playing Huntley or “Snoop” more than he wants to. In a perfect world, Gabriel would start the game and play about three quarters, like Sanders did during Friday night’s 30-10 victory over the Panthers.

“We’ll work through all those things,” Stefanski said. “Obviously Snoop knows exactly what to do, how to do it. So he’s ready to roll. We’ll see who else is available. But we’ve got to get through today before I know that.”

Sanders injuries prevents him from building on his excellent debut against the Panthers, during which he went 14-of-23 for 138 yards with two great TD passes to Kaden Davis. Sanders put three touchdowns on the board in his nine possession, and got all of Browns Town excited about his future.

But Stefanski planned to stick to his guns and bring him along slowly. Now, he has no choice but to do just that.