Browns roster is full of intrigue at the QB position leaving the veterans at risk
With the Cleveland Browns selecting two quarterbacks in the NFL Draft, the quarterback room is suddenly crowded. Removing Deshaun Watson from the equation since he will likely not play at all this season, the room consists of Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
One veteran, a former first round pick and two rookies. A boiling pot that is the Browns QB room. So everyone wants to know, who will be the odd man out in a very crowded room?
Hint: It’s the answer that some fans won’t be pleased to hear.
It’s an open competition, everyone will get a fair shot to prove that they deserve to be QB1
If it’s not obvious by now, it’s clear that the Cleveland quarterback situation is unresolved. There is no clear starter right now, and from reading from what head coach Kevin Stefanski said, everyone in that room will get an opportunity to showcase if they are worthy enough to start.
Everyone is just assuming that Flacco will be the starter because he has the most experience but he’s also 40 years old and on a slow decline. Pickett is a former first-round pick who hasn’t had much success, but like Flacco, he has experience.
Enter the two rookie QB’s.
When the Browns drafted Oregon Ducks Gabriel in the 3rd round, it was considered a reach based on where the projections had the QB but it’s obvious that the coaching staff sees something in Gabriel.
The former Oregon QB doesn’t have many athletic traits; he’s around an average athlete but he can play with rhythm and timing not to mention he can operate well when it comes to the RPO and play action.
Sanders, who fell to the 5th round, was selected by the Browns, and similar to Gabriel he also plays with rhythm and timing. Sanders has his limitations as an athlete, but he makes up for it with his processing. He’s an effective game manager but will tend to hold onto the ball for too long and has issues creating out of structure.
A crowded room with a lot of question marks.
Joe Flacco could be the odd man out of the crowded QB room
Someone has to say it, so I might as well. Respect to Flacco and what he did in 2023, but expecting him to replicate that in 2025 might be an unrealistic expectation.
“You don’t understand, Flacco gives this fanbase hope and he can be a leader in the quarterback room!” Why should they get rid of Flacco?”
Relying on a 40-year-old Joe Flacco to give you hope in 2025 is kind of crazy, but we have seen crazier things.
Factoring in his age and the contract he signed, Cleveland can move off Flacco with only a $1.6 million in dead cap after June 1st. If the team were to cut Pickett, Sanders or Gabriel, none would clear waivers and would be picked up immediately.
Could the team cut Flacco and put him on the practice squad? Possibly, but the veteran would have to accept that. Depending on what happens in training camp, any number of trade possibilities exist in the room and injuries tend to pile up and change the equation as well.
The team taking two swings at the quarterback position is allowing them to figure out what they have at the position. The team already knows what Flacco is at this point: Not the long-term answer. Either Sanders or Gabriel could be and both will be getting a fair opportunity.
In sports, we often talk about “follow the money” in trying to understand why decisions are made. With the Browns QB room, “follow the investment” is a little more appropriate:
- Pickett cost the team a 5th-round pick and Dorian Thompson-Robinson
- Gabriel was selected with a 3rd round pick
- Sanders was selected with a 5th-round pick
- Flacco was signed with $1.255 million in guaranteed salary
If everyone is healthy at the end of training camp, who do you think is the most likely odd man out of the Browns crowded QB room? Share your thoughts in the comment section below
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