The writing is on the wall for the Cleveland Browns‘ pair of rookie quarterbacks.
Cleveland’s situation under center has been so unique that NFL analysts have struggled to get a clear beat on the pecking order in the QB room. Because of that, speculation has swirled and one insider or another has predicted just about every possible outcome.
However, with training camp fast-approaching, writers like Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated have pointed more frequently to one of the veterans — either Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett — winning the starting job.
“Time is short. Reps in camp will be valuable. Bottom line: It wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the team to drag things out,” Breer wrote on July 14. “To that end, you’ll probably be able to see where things stand early on. Flacco will be in the running. Pickett almost certainly will be, too.”
On July 18, the day Browns rookies reported to training camp, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report doubled-down on Breer’s report by predicting that Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders are both running behind Cleveland’s two QBs. He went on to offer a relatively dire longterm outlook for each of their careers with the organization.
“While the Browns will probably want to get a look at Gabriel and/or Sanders as rookies … they can’t possibly view either as a sure-fire franchise signal-caller,” Knox wrote. “Cleveland most likely targeted Gabriel for his long-term backup potential, while Sanders became worth a low-risk bet on Day 3. If either was viewed as a ‘sure thing,’ he would have been drafted earlier.”
Kenny Pickett Facing Similar Pressure to Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders Entering Camp
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett.
None of that means that Gabriel or Sanders will never start in Cleveland or have a future there. It does mean fans should calibrate expectations.
Pickett is a former first-round pick and has the best shot of longterm starting potential with the Browns considering his age (27) and particular skill set. Flacco’s strengths alo make him a strong fit for Kevin Stefanski’s system, as the end of the 2023 campaign clearly showed, but he is 40 years old and could be entering his final season.
But Pickett struggled in spring ball, and Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com suggested that he has to “pop” in camp if he hopes to win the QB1 job, which Breer believes the team will award sooner than later.
“We did not see it in spring ball. … If we are saying that we did, we’re kidding ourselves,” Cabot said. “We didn’t see [Pickett] pop. He needs to pop in training camp.”
Browns Poised to Trade Either Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett at Some Point This Year
GettyCleveland Browns quarterbacks Joe Flacco (left) and Shedeur Sanders (right).
If Pickett doesn’t pop, the Browns may burst his bubble by sending him to the trade block.
Should Pickett succeed, it could be Flacco the franchise dangles to QB-needy teams either ahead of Week 1, prior to the November trade deadline, or both.
If Cleveland’s season works out the way the majority of prognosticators believe it will, with the team losing early and often through a brutally tough opening to its schedule, then the era of Gabriel and/or Sanders will arrive early. At that point, depending on what Pickett and Flacco have shown, it may not make sense for the Browns to keep either of them.
It certainly won’t be worth the roster spot or the Browns passing up a reasonable Day-3 draft asset that they could get in trade by moving at least one of Pickett or Flacco — both of whom are on one-year deals.
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