I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen QB stat lines from OTAs released to the public like they matter. Yet, here we are in June, seeing a barrage of takes about 7-on-7 reps like it’s Week 17.
It’s silly, right?! Let’s be real: Helmets and shorts in May and June don’t tell you who can actually move the chains on a cold Sunday in Cleveland.
Quarterback competitions are usually overhyped, especially for a Browns team that only won three games last season, but this one shouldn’t be.
Deshaun Watson is likely out for the 2025 season after undergoing his second Achilles surgery in January, and honestly, I doubt he ever wears a Browns jersey again.
That means the Cleveland Browns are rolling into training camp with four “options” (if you can call it that) in Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and of course, Shedur Sanders – with no obvious Week 1 starter.
Let’s see how each QB stacks up against each other, with pros and cons for starting each Week 1 against the Bengals in the Battle of Ohio on Sept. 7.
Flacco re-signed with Cleveland on a one-year deal this offseason after helping lead the Browns to the playoffs in 2023. The Browns know exactly what they’re getting with him – a veteran who understands Kevin Stefanski’s system and has proven he can do well in it (4-1 record, 1,616 yards and 13 TDs in 2023).
Flacco brings a stabilizing presence to this otherwise dysfunctional Browns QB room. He knows the playbook, runs the system well, and has shown he can still manage tight games. The Browns’ offensive system is built on play-action and timing, so Flacco’s rhythm-based timing still works great for the offense.
At 40-years-old (he’ll be 41 in January), Flacco is clearly nearing the end of the line. He’s also not part of the Browns’ long-term plans, which makes starting him feel more like an easy choice than a solid season-long strategy. Plus, the interceptions. His decision making is, let’s just say, not smart sometimes.
After a short and bad run with the Steelers and one year with the Eagles (that comes with some Superbowl hardware), Pickett landed in Cleveland this offseason, claiming he’s here to take over the starting role. He’s still just 26, with starter experience in the AFC North and enough athleticism to add an element to the Browns QB room that they saw in short bits with Watson – running ability.
Pickett’s mobility automatically gives the offense flexibility and Stefanski more to work with. He can run bootlegs, escape pressure, and improvise when needed (something severely lacking with Flacco. Like Flacco, his AFC North starter experience also gives him an edge over the rookies, and his ceiling could still be high-ish in the right system. At the most, the Browns hope for a Sam Darnold-esc “comeback” from Pickett, but that’s definitely asking too much.
In his short three-year NFL career, Pickett hasn’t shown that he can protect the ball or throw enough touchdowns worth a true look. Sure, his legs add value, but are we really going to see much improvement from a guy who has thrown for a grand total of 15 touchdowns in a span of three years?
Gabriel ran a West Coast-style offense under Oregon’s Offensive Coordinator Will Stein - a perfect match for Stefanski’s play-action attack. The Browns took him in the third round – a shocker to most fans.
Gabriel’s college tape shows good footwork, smart decision making, and comfort spreading the ball around the field. He also won a lot of big games, especially at Oregon. Call me old school, but I still appreciate a QB with experience winning at the college level.
WIth all that being said, he’s still a rookie…and a short one at that. Listed at just under 6 foot (or a lot under, depending on who you ask), he hasn’t seen real NFL speed yet. When pass rushers, especially those like TJ Watt in the AFC North, come flying at him, we’ll see how he holds up.
At Colorado, Sanders played in an aggressive, pass-heavy offense and thrived in it under his father, the Hall of Fame Cornerback Deion Sanders. His accuracy seems NFL-ready and his awareness in the pocket helped him produce decent numbers despite being behind an offensive line that ranked 64th in 2024.
First off, we know Sanders can handle the spotlight – the dude has had a camera on him his entire life. However, with “fame,” especially at a young age, comes cockiness and a feeling of entitlement. On the numbers side, despite Colorado’s leaky offensive line, he still put up over 4,000 yards – that’s impressive. Sure, you could make the argument that Travis Hunter was a big reason for that success, but only time will tell how much.
Let’s talk about the most glaring (and strangest) con here – Sanders dropped severely in the draft, mostly for reasons unknown or unconfirmed. Rumors of character issues or bad pre-draft interviews may be true, considering he dropped so far. The other glaring con comes with fame, and that's entitlement. You know what entitled people do? They drive 100 mph twice in a span of two weeks (and probably more) because they think they can.
If the Browns played tomorrow, I’m probably giving Flacco the nod. I know I said he was the easy pick, but sometimes you just gotta K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple, STUPID). At the very least, he’s familiar with the playbook.
Let’s be real, the Browns aren’t going to win a ton of games this year, and the team’s first six games are a gauntlet (Bengals, Ravens, Packers, Lions, Vikings, Steelers). Want to ruin a rookie QB immediately? Start him Week 1 and let him face those defenses. Want to potentially win a few games early on? Go with the veteran. Go with Flacco.
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