The latest reports suggest that the Cleveland Browns may keep all four of their quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. That’d be a surprising move, as most teams typically carry only three. But the emergence of Shedeur Sanders, a fifth-round pick, has added a layer of uncertainty about who’s best suited to lead the team moving forward.
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The fact that the Browns can even consider carrying four quarterbacks is rare. Due to their financial setup, most teams could never consider carrying such a number. But the Browns only have $7.6 million tied up in Shedeur, Dillon Gabriel, Kenny Pickett, and Joe Flacco. That’s about one-fifth of Deshaun Watson’s payout.
But that’s the financial aspect. Why would the team fill up their 53-man roster with an extra QB, when that very spot could go to someone more useful? Shedeur clearly seems like the odd man out, given he’s a fifth-round pick. And a team rarely parts ways with a third-rounder, so Gabriel appears safe. Flacco is the starter, and Pickett has held his own so far.
Well, NFL veteran James Jones believes the fact that Shedeur is even in the mix means he has checked every box there is to check in training.
“It’s crazy that they’re saying this before training camp and before Shedeur even got an opportunity to play a game. That means he has checked every box that he needs to check,” Jones professed on The Facility.
The talks that Shedeur had been outperforming his counterparts started as whispers, but they’re officially growing into confident statements. During minicamp, stats from all four quarterbacks have been coming out. And Shedeur leads them all in completion percentage and touchdowns.
We hate to say we told you so, but we did. It was confusing to us why teams allowed Shedeur to fall so far in the draft, seemingly out of spite for his character. His college stats suggest that he could be a really good player — a leader. It’s confounding that the NFL chose to take the route they did with him, rather than leaning into his personality.
Now, what was once thought to be a foregone conclusion at quarterback, Jones believes has turned into a meritocracy.
“Number one, that lets me know it’s a wide-open competition. Number two, we want to keep these veterans out here, let them maybe trot out there first. But we are going to keep these young boys because they showed us they could play,” Jones said.
It’s hard to disagree with the sentiment. The fact that the Browns are willing to consider carrying four guys shows how indecisive the competition has become.
.@89JonesNTAF “100 percent” agrees with the Browns’ decision to carry all 4 QBs:
“This means it’s a wide-open competition and that Shedeur has checked every box.” pic.twitter.com/fQxQM3ALDO
— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) June 17, 2025
However, other analysts like Mike Florio don’t think that the Browns will carry all four guys for the entirety of the season, if they indeed make the roster.
“It’s entirely possible that the Browns are putting out the notion that they plan to take all four quarterbacks to training camp in order to create some/any trade leverage. If no one believes they’ll keep quarterbacks in the fold for camp (one of them surely won’t get the reps he needs to compete), no one will be willing to offer anything for the odd man out (we continue to think that, if there is one, it’s Pickett),” Florio wrote via NBC Sports.
Whatever the plan is for the quarterbacks, it seems like the Browns are taking the process day by day, which is exactly how they should be approaching it. Naming a starter this early would only set someone up to fail.
Plus, with the Browns easing into this competition, Shedeur has a better shot than ever to make the roster. For those of us who believed in him, we just need to stand strong a little longer. Before you know it, he could be listed as the QB1. Shedeur just needs to keep his head down, keep grinding, and prove us right — and you know who wrong.
