The quarterback competition in Cleveland is heating up and progressing steadily. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has opened up the battle for the starting job during training camp, with Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders now in contention. With plenty of time remaining before the season kicks off, all four signal-callers still have a chance to make their case for the QB1 role.
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However, early signs suggest that Shedeur Sanders, the former Colorado standout, may be on the outside looking in. Reports indicate the Browns are favoring the other three quarterbacks—Flacco, Pickett, and Gabriel—for first-team reps, leaving Sanders at the back of the pack.
Some around the league believe Cleveland is already eyeing the 2026 NFL Draft as a potential opportunity to reset the quarterback room altogether. That could mean moving on not just from Sanders, but also from Gabriel. Among the intriguing prospects reportedly on their radar are Cade Klubnik, LeNorris Sellers, Garrett Nussmeier, and possibly even Arch Manning.
So why did the Browns draft, not one, but two quarterbacks this year? And why did they trade for Kenny Pickett on top of that? These are the very questions that analyst Bigsnackks is asking—and he’s not holding back. In fact, he called for a complete overhaul of the organization, demanding the firing of head coach Kevin Stefanski, general manager Andrew Berry, and the entire front office.
“Around this draft and this draft class, this front office has made a mockery of NFL football. If they are going in the direction that everybody thinks they are going, in the direction of looking for and looking forward to those first-round picks and taking QB in the first round of [the] 2026 NFL draft, then Kevin Stefanski and the GM need to be fired because this is a wasted draft class if that’s the case.”
Why did they spend a third-round pick on Dillon Gabriel, a fifth-rounder to move up and draft Shedeur, and another fifth-round pick to acquire Pickett?
That’s five picks for three quarterbacks in the same offseason—all while potentially preparing to take yet another quarterback in the first round next year.
Bigsnackks argues that the Browns should have used those picks to add weapons or bolster protection for whoever ultimately becomes their franchise quarterback, quite possibly someone they’ll draft in the first round of the 2026 draft.
He also claims the Browns already landed the best quarterback from the 2025 draft class in Shedeur Sanders, regardless of where they selected him. In his view, Shedeur is clearly more talented than anyone else on Cleveland’s current roster. The offense that Stefanski runs in Cleveland is similar to what the Colorado Alum played in college. Therefore, he should at least get a chance to show what he can do in that offense.
Final verdict? The Browns’ front office appears to be operating without a clear or cohesive plan, and if this continues, the franchise risks remaining stuck in mediocrity. Carrying four quarterbacks on the roster in today’s NFL is nearly unheard of. While healthy competition can be valuable, this situation doesn’t resemble a genuine battle for the starting job.
Instead, it feels more like confusion disguised as strategy. Why give your rookie QBs false hope when it’s likely at least one of them will be cut before the season starts? If the team never intended to give both of them a real shot, then why draft them in the first place? Those picks could’ve been used elsewhere—and more importantly, the players themselves deserved better.
Each of those young QBs might’ve had a legitimate chance to grow or serve as a backup on another team. But in Cleveland, the team now risks wasting its time, energy, and developmental resources on what increasingly looks like a muddled and directionless experiment.
