The Cleveland Browns enter Week 1 almost fully healthy with for their matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals

It's been a while since the Cleveland Browns have entered a game day as healthy as they're expected to be for Sunday's Week 1 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. Only, one player, DT Mike Hall Jr. was ruled out at the conclusion of the practice week. 

The 2024 second-round pick has been working his way back from a knee injury he sustained in Week 18 of last season. He spent the entirety of training camp on the physically unable to perform list rehabbing from the ailment before passing his physical in time for roster cutdown day in late August. 

Hall returned to practice for the first time just this week, on Thursday, and practiced two days in total, but it was not enough to be ready for Week 1. Head coach Kevin Stefanski revealed on Friday that Hall being held out was part of their plan for his return to the field.

Meanwhile, the Browns quarterback situation will continue to be something to monitor throughout the season, with rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders waiting to potentially play at some point this season. Gabriel solidified himself as the No. 2 QB during the preseason, so much so that the team was comfortable moving on from veteran Kenny Pickett. 

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That left Sanders as the No. 3 quarterback to open up the season. Stefanski shared that Shedeur Sanders would be the team's emergency third quarterback on game days, which makes him only available to enter the game if Joe Flacco and Gabriel both left the game due to injury. 

Sanders will hold that emergency QB role for Cleveland in Week 1, in what is the first game of his career. 

The rest of the Browns inactive list includes: 

QB Shedeur Sanders (emergency QB)

DT Mike Hall Jr. 

G Zak Zinter

T KT Leveston

WR Gage Larvadain

Cincinnati enters the matchup without a single player being ruled out via injury. Their official list of inactives includes: 

CB Marco Wilson

C Matt Lee

WR Jermaine Burton

TE Cam Grandy

DT McKinnley Jackson

DT Howard Cross III

Kickoff between the Browns and Bengals is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday from Huntington Bank Field. It's the ninth time the two AFC North foes open up the season against each other, with the two franchises splitting the previous eight Week 1 matchups 4-4.