Sportsnaut
The Cleveland Browns have had an interesting competition brewing all throughout training camp. Sure, thanks to head coach Kevin Stefanski, we now know that Joe Flacco will be the team’s starting quarterback when Week 1 kicks off.
But who will be the backup quarterback in Cleveland? Considering the Browns are moving forward with a 40-year-old quarterback who only played six games last season, the Browns will need to be prepared for every scenario.
Of course, the Browns have several contenders, from former first-round pick Kenny Pickett to rookie third-rounder Dillon Gabriel and even fifth-round standout Shedeur Sanders. The Browns even added one-time Pro Bowl QB Tyler Huntley after injuries struck, but he has since been released.
While the Browns have yet to make an official announcement and their depth chart won’t be released until after Tuesday, when the 53-man roster cuts are made, someone will emerge as the No. 2 QB in Cleveland.
Yet, according to former NFL stars Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Shannon Sharpe, believe that coach Stefanski set Gabriel up to thrive while putting Sanders in a position to fail.
Holy Sh*t: Former NFL stars T. J. Houshmandzadeh, Chad Johnson, and Shannon Sharpe CALL OUT Kevin Stefanski for rigging things to make Dillion Gabriel look better while Shedeur Sanders played with players who are all going to be cut.
Sanders deserves to be treated better…💔😔 pic.twitter.com/l5WlOPBinc
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 24, 2025
While that seems like an incredibly odd way for a head coach to conduct his business, perhaps it’s worth noting that Johnson and Houshmandzadeh both played for the Cincinnati Bengals, one of the Browns’ AFC North division rivals. Meanwhile, Sharpe spent time with another rival, the Baltimore Ravens.
In other words, are these former rivals trying to badmouth one of their former competitors, even if they never actually played against coach Stefanski or any of the current Browns players?
Related: Hall of Famer: NFL Told Teams Not to Draft Shedeur Sanders
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