Sportsnaut
The Cleveland Browns have been through more quarterbacks in the last quarter century than most people have been through socks.
The amassing quantity to find some quality approach for this year’s club has led to a fascinating training camp battle with fans, media, and even management paying close attention to the competition and progress.
Between Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders, the Browns have plenty of contestants for QB1, and they surely don’t need to add anyone else. Yet, the Browns will have to announce a starter, and doing so sooner rather than later could provide additional benefits thanks to the valuable practice experience gained by working with the first-team offense.
So far, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the quarterback who has the “best command of the offense” so far is Flacco. But that doesn’t mean the other options don’t offer intriguing skillsets, though the polarizing rookie Sanders, who has worked hard trying to catch up to his more experienced peers, is showing why he fell to the fifth round in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“As for what I know about where the four guys are now, it’s been apparent to those watching that Flacco’s got the best command over the offense, and can still really throw it,” Breer wrote. “Pickett and Gabriel are the most athletic. Gabriel, the third-rounder, has shown solid aptitude, feel and instincts for a rookie. And Sanders, way behind from a knowhow standpoint when he reported in May, has been fighting to keep up. The reason he’s not with the first team, for now, is easy: He’s not ready to operate the offense at the level needed to lead a veteran starting group.”
Even if Flacco does win the starting job, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be the Browns’ starter once the end of the season rolls around. The Browns collected a trio of high potential quarterbacks for a reason, and if the season spirals out of control, why not see what a former first-round pick like Pickett can do?
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