Dawgs By Nature
Shedeur Sanders, Joe Flacco will get most of the attention but Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel could get starting QB job
Much (proverbial) ink will be spilled about the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback competition. With five quarterbacks on the roster, four of whom are healthy and competing for the starting position, the Browns are in a unique position. That Joe Flacco helped lead a miraculous run for the team two years ago and Shedeur Sanders being a popular social media star who fell multiple rounds in the NFL draft adds to the drama.
Of the four, Dillon Gabriel cost the biggest asset to acquire (3rd round pick), with veteran Kenny Pickett just behind him (5th rounder and Dorian Thompson-Robinson).
While many assume that Flacco is the front runner for the starting role, Pickett took the first snaps at voluntary OTAs:
The following video starts with Flacco, but in the second round, you can see the order of Pickett, Flacco, Gabriel then Sanders:
Unlike Myles Garrett’s absence, the order of quarterbacks has meaning. For now, HC Kevin Stefanski has decided Pickett then Flacco are his first two quarterbacks, followed by the rookies in the order in which they were drafted. Stefanski will likely, correctly, note that there is little meaning to the order, but the team does decide the order, which gives it at least some meaning.
Are you surprised that Pickett, not Flacco, is leading the initial QB group? Do you think it has much meaning or is it just splitting hairs to start the competition?
Share any thoughts you might have below
