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The Cleveland Browns have arguably more to manage in the final weeks of the offseason than any other team in the league. The team’s quarterback battle has been widely publicized, but there are several other roster questions that General Manager Andrew Berry must address before Aug. 26. Given their current positioning, the Browns will inevitably release a few notable names during their 2025 final roster cuts.
The Browns’ biggest roster questions come from the top, where they have kept four quarterbacks on virtually even ground throughout the offseason. Cleveland recently answered one question by officially naming Joe Flacco its Week 1 starter, but the rest of the depth chart remains up in the air.
Although rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel receive all the attention, Kenny Pickett continues to be the biggest wild card of the group after missing the entire preseason with a hamstring injury. Almost no team keeps four quarterbacks on its active roster, likely leaving one of Sanders, Gabriel or Pickett without a job in the next week.
Aside from quarterback, the Browns have at least one question at nearly every other position on their 2025 roster. Injuries continue to plague the team, with three potential starters likely beginning the year on the physically unable to perform list. Quinshon Judkins and Devin Bush have not made matters any better by causing legal trouble that lingered throughout the offseason.
After mending its general perception under head coach Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland took a significant step back with a 3-14 season in 2024. They find themselves in a familiar position of being forced to rebuild, making the 2025 season a crucial turning point for all involved. The Browns may be forced to make a few unexpected cuts to finalize their 2025 roster.
Despite reports that the Browns are content with keeping all four quarterbacks, one of them will likely receive the axe. Flacco is locked in as the QB1, and Gabriel and Sanders have both done more than enough to warrant roster spots. Unfortunately for Kenny Pickett, his injury might have pushed him to the back of the line.
Through the chaos of the quarterback battle, it is easy to forget that the Browns relinquished draft capital to acquire Pickett in March. Teams rarely release players they traded for just months before.
However, not even the Browns could have predicted how the 2025 NFL Draft would play out. They entered the process determined to leave with a quarterback, but could not have expected to find themselves taking Sanders in the fifth round. The shocking turn of events changed nearly everything about how Cleveland approached its offseason quarterback situation.
At face value, the battle has been a four-man race. But with the way it has unfolded, it has essentially been a tale of two separate competitions. The Browns never seemed to consider starting either rookie in Week 1, holding Flacco and Pickett to a separate standard from Gabriel and Sanders.
In any other situation, Sanders would be...
