Dawgs By Nature
Cleveland knows from horrible quarterback rooms. But the current group should be able to hold it together for a season.
If there was ever an NFL team that knows bad quarterbacks, it is the Cleveland Browns.
Since returning to the league in 1999, the Browns have rolled out quarterback rooms that featured Trent Dilfer, Charlie Frye and Frisman Jackson (2005); Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, Ken Dorsey and Bruce Gradkowski (2008); Brandon Weeden, Thaddeus Lewis, Colt McCoy and Josh Johnson (2012); Cody Kessler, Josh McCown, Robert Griffin III, Charlie Whitehurst and Kevin Hogan (2016); and DeShone Kizer, Kevin Hogan and Cody Kessler (2017).
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None of those immortal groups can hold a candle to the 2024 room, however, which consisted of:
That group put together one of the worst offensive seasons in recent NFL history as the Browns finished with a 3-14 record. Which, in turn, led general manager Andrew Berry to completely renovate the position.
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Out are Watson, who is recovering from his second Achilles injury and has played his last down for the Browns; Winston and Zappe, off to the New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs, respectively, in free agency; and Thompson-Robinson, traded off to the Philadelphia Eagles.
In are veteran Joe Flacco, signed in free agency, veteran Kenny Pickett, acquired in the Thompson-Robinson trade, and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
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Even though his best days are behind him, Flacco is one of the rare “bridge quarterbacks” who should be able to hold it together for a few weeks if called upon. He knows head coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense, and in limited playing time the past two seasons, has completed 63 percent of his passes while throwing 10 more touchdowns than interceptions.
Even though he is best suited as a backup quarterback, Pickett can at least be functional if the need arises to play him. And it can’t be understated how much a year with the Eagles helped Pickett wash off the stench of his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that consistently flies under the radar when it comes to its inability to develop quarterbacks.
Even though they are rookies, Gabriel and Sanders have the college résumés and mindset to be competitive during training camp and the preseason. And unlike recent draftees like Thompson-Robinson, Kizer, Kessler, or Johnny Manziel, there is more of a feeling of guarded confidence and less of an “oh, crap, this is going to be bad” vibe around the idea of Gabriel...
