Will Shedeur Sanders, Joe Flacco or Dillon Gabriel Win Browns' QB Competition?

As it's often said, "If a team has two quarterbacks, it has none." Well, the Cleveland Browns have four. Does that take the organization into negative space? Not if one of the options emerges and provides the team with a legitimate starting option.

Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders are about to enter an open competition to claim the job, while Deshaun Watson's status hangs over the entire organization.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski insisted the Browns are in a good spot at the game's most important position.

"I look at competition as a really good thing," Stefanski told reporters prior to the NFL draft. "I think it's a really good thing, especially when you like the guys that are competing for the job like we do. So I think it only elevates everybody's play."

History says otherwise, particularly when considering the Browns' abysmal track record. Cleveland has experienced nothing but failure when trying to find a long-term solution since the franchise returned to the NFL in 1999, hence 40 different starters during that period.

Even when the team seemingly answered the problem after selecting Baker Mayfield with the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2018, the organization ultimately chose poorly and went in another direction—which turned out to become the worst trade and contract in NFL history.

But Cleveland's investments in this year's group does provide some hope and the coaching staff is doing the right thing in making it a true open competition.

"We have no preconceived notions of who's gonna be the starting quarterback," Flacco said of what Stefanski told him prior to signing as a free agent. "We want to put together a good room and have good competition and see what comes of it."

With those words in mind, the franchise's options have been ranked (in descending order) based on who is most likely to emerge as the Browns' primary starting quarterback for the 2025 season.

5. Deshaun Watson

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Deshaun Watson getting cleared by medical personnel and ever starting again for the Browns would easily be the biggest upset of the 2025 season.

Owner Jimmy Haslam all but admitted that Watson's time as the team's starting quarterback is done and the only reason he remains on the roster is due to contractual obligations.

“We took a big swing and miss with Deshaun," Haslam told reporters. "We thought we had the quarterback, we didn't and we gave up a lot of draft picks to get him. So we've got to dig ourselves out of that hole. (It) was an entire organization decision and it ends with Dee and I, so hold us accountable."

Currently, Watson continues his rehabilitation from a torn Achilles tendon that he suffered last season. The Browns can't get out from under his ill-advised contract until at least the 2026 offseason, when the team can designate him as a June 1 cut and simply eat his entire salary-cap charge for that season without enduring further penalty.

More than likely, particularly after needing a second surgery on the injury in January, the Browns' brain trust will place Watson on season-ending injured reserve before the '25 campaign begins. In the meantime, the organization will continue to eat his contract before finally moving on from this massive mistake when it can next year.

4. Kenny Pickett

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At one point, Kenny Pickett was the only starting option on the Browns roster. A month later, he's the fourth-best option to start for the team.

Pickett is now with his third team in a year. The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't even allow the 2022 first-round pick a third year to prove he can be their starter before moving on, even while the organization continues its search for a quality quarterback.

After being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for an exchange of draft picks, Pickett played late in the '24 regular season, while starter Jalen Hurts dealt with a concussion, and attempted all of 42 passes. He's a first-round bust trying to rebuild his reputation somewhere. Cleveland likely isn't the answer.

Financially, the Browns don't have much invested in Pickett. He's $2.6 million contract is fully guaranteed but is a miniscule figure considering the quarterback scale.

Considering Flacco's experience—both as a starter and with the Browns organization—as well as two draft picks waiting in the wings, Pickett definitely feels like the odd man out since Cleveland is unlikely to keep four quarterbacks.

3. Shedeur Sanders

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Shedeur Sanders may be the biggest name and presents the most upside of any quarterback currently found on the Browns roster. But he's also a fifth-round draft pick who is fighting an uphill battle to earn the status that many thought would come naturally through the draft process.

Obviously, Sanders wasn't the first-round talent many believed. However, he was clearly better than a fifth-round selection, which has been acknowledged by those within league circles.

"Most teams had Sanders rated as a second-round pick," an anonymous NFL executive told The Athletic's Mike Sando, "but when you are building a team, you have to include the intangibles and the other stuff and decide whether you want it or not. For most teams at that stage, it was not worth it."

Basically, NFL teams didn't want to deal with the circus they believe comes along with Sanders once he enters a situation as a backup. Cleveland is a little different, though.

"Stefanski said he will get an opportunity to compete to be QB1 for a franchise," ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi reported.

General manager Andrew Berry added, "[Sanders is] a guy that we think can outproduce his draft slot."

The ability is there for Sanders to make a splash. He's an excellent distributor with fantastic accuracy when working on time and in rhythm. At the same time, he struggles with pressure and doesn't have elite physical tools. Furthermore, Cleveland's current situation has two major stumbling blocks in Sanders' path to prevent him from the franchise going all in with the fifth-round draft pick.

First, a veteran-laden roster won't be thrilled with the possibility of throwing away a season just to see what a fifth-round draft pick can do. Second, the Browns passed on the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year six different times and even drafted a different quarterback prospect before him.

All Sanders can do is keep his head down, put in the work and try to blow everyone else out of the water to claim this job outright.

2. Joe Flacco

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At the onset of organized team activities, Flacco will walk into the Browns locker room as the leader to win the job and open the season as Cleveland's starter.

"My sense is that Joe Flacco is going to take the first snap in the spring, which there’s some significance to that," Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer said on the Rich Eisen Show. "I think [Pittsburgh Steelers head coach] Mike Tomlin called it pole position last year when he was talking about his own quarterback situation. I think Joe Flacco has pole position here."

Browns fans see Flacco rejoining the team and imagine him playing as he did in 2023 when he signed as a street free agent midseason, helped the team reach the postseason for only the third time in the 25 years and won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

However, those same fans won't look back to last season when the Colts' also handed the long-time veteran the starting job, because their developmental quarterback disappointed, only to see Flacco play poorly. He's now 40 years old. Things aren't going to get better from this point forward.

Yes, Stefanski's system and the quarterback's previous familiarity with the team will help entering his 18th year. At the same time, Flacco fully understands he must win this job and he's not entering the current situation as a mentor to Cleveland's three young quarterbacks.

"Joe's job also isn't to bring along rookies," Berry said during an interview on Cleveland's 92.3 The Fan (h/t ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi). "We have a very experienced and good coaching staff. That's their job. Joe's job is to compete and earn a role, just like the others in the room."

Flacco should be considered the favorite to at least open the season behind center for all the reasons previously stated, though the idea of him recapturing the magic from two years ago seems folly, especially when Cleveland can commit to a much younger option that the organization really likes.

1. Dillon Gabriel

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The Browns' decision to select Gabriel over Sanders in this year's third round raised plenty of eyebrows. The decision to do so says a lot.

"A few teams tipped me off before the draft that Cleveland really liked [Gabriel], presumably as a Day 3 pick," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported. "That he went in the third round was a mild surprise, but Browns sources tell me the earlier selection of Jalen Milroe to Seattle did not scare Cleveland—it was taking Gabriel at No. 94 regardless.

"The Browns were also surprised their homework on Gabriel didn't get more attention in the media. Gabriel visited the team on the same day as higher-profile quarterbacks Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. Gabriel is small, but he can play the position. Teams were slightly higher on Gabriel than outside draft experts were."

Cleveland's selection of Gabriel can be their version of the Seattle Seahawks selecting Russell Wilson in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft. While the two have different skill sets and no one wants to place the pressure of becoming a Super Bowl-winning quarterback and potential Hall of Famer on an incoming rookie, they were both undersized as prospect, albeit highly experienced starters who transferred, with the potential to outproduce their respective draft slots.

Obviously, the Browns regarded Gabriel more highly than Sanders no matter what the team says publicly about the latter—which means the former is going to get more opportunities. The reality of the situation can't be overlooked, even if coverage between these two incoming quarterbacks will be decidedly slanted in one direction.

Second, the 5'11", 205-pound signal-caller can play. Gabriel left the collegiate ranks tied for the most touchdown passes ever at the FBS level, while outright owning the record for most touchdowns responsible for. He started 63 games between his stops with the UCF Knights, Oklahoma Sooners and Oregon Ducks. He also brings a certain level of maturity, even as a rookie (He turns 25 before the end of his rookie campaign).

Stefanski may also see an ideal fit for his offensive scheme, at least based on the report from Bleacher Report scout Dame Parson:

"Gabriel is a timing and rhythm quarterback who thrives targeting the short and intermediate areas of the field. He is a spot thrower who can pick apart zone defenses when kept clean in the pocket. Gabriel plays with good poise and calmness inside the pocket, stepping up to avoid collapsing edge pressure. He throws a catchable ball with a combination of velocity and touch. Due to his litany of snaps/experience, the game has slowed down for him, and he can play at maximum speed. He is highly effective on RPO play calls, reading defensive leverages, and false steps on the second level. Gabriel's ball placement is a strength of his game; he protects receivers and rarely throws them into incoming defenders or high-traffic areas."

Size is less of an issue than it was 13 years ago, which means that Gabriel's slide to the third round wasn't based entirely on antiquated evaluation processes. The reigning Big Ten Most Valuable Player doesn't have top-tier arm talent. He's not as effective of a passer when working the deeper portions of the field. His eyes can be slow after working in systems where big throwing windows were common and tight coverage didn't consistently materialize. Even so, Stefanski's scheme is also viewed as quarterback-friendly, and Gabriel has showed throughout his career that he can be reliable working and delivering within the confines of the system.

All another year of Flacco starting does is appease the veterans on Cleveland's roster. Sanders has too much to prove in a short time. Pickett shouldn't be viewed as a serious option. Watson is a non-factor.

Gabriel is the logical choice to give the Browns a skill set to be competitive, while also igniting some hope for the team's future. Cleveland simply can't afford another lost season, and Gabriel provides the best of both worlds based on what's available.