After suffering a quarterback crisis last year following Deshaun Watson’s injury, the Cleveland Browns have a happy headache heading into the 2025 season. They’ve filled the QB room with a mix of experience and youth: Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders are all competing for the starting spot.
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If experience is the yardstick, Flacco has the edge over Gabriel and Shedeur, with Pickett likely slotted as the No. 2 QB. But that’s not how head coach Kevin Stefanski wants to approach things.
In an exclusive interview with Cleveland Browns Daily, Stefanski spoke at length about how he’s trying to give equal opportunities to all four quarterbacks. The Browns’ HC, who wants to revamp the team after their 3-14 record in the 2024 season, said that the Browns are trying to be smart by giving Joe a chance to evaluate things while “shifting some reps to the younger guys and mixing them throughout.”
“I think that’s something we talked a lot about prior to putting together the plan. And obviously, there’s an old saying that you treat everybody fairly but not the same. It’s related to that. You know there are guys that need to get X number of reps. There are guys that don’t. I mean, Joe is 40 years old, has seen a lot of football, and has played a lot of football. He does not need as many reps as the young guys do,” Stefanski explained.
Notably, ESPN Cleveland’s tracker from Day 1 of minicamp drills shows Pickett throwing for three touchdowns on 6-of-10 completions.
Shedeur, meanwhile, had two touchdowns with 10-of-12 completions. Gabriel struggled the most, finishing 7-of-18 with one touchdown. Still, these are early days, and all four QBs have time to prove themselves.
Browns minicamp is a WRAP! Here’s how all four QBs performed in 7v7 and 11v11 team drills today.
Next stop, training camp! pic.twitter.com/Z0o7SFipEp
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) June 12, 2025
When asked specifically about Gabriel, Stefanski acknowledged that “he’s been coached well in college” and credited the former Oregon QB for the nuance in his play-action game and how he’s working to master it in the league.
“Yeah, I think the play-action piece is a good observation, Bo, where he’s got really great ability to ball-handle — to put the ball out on a play-action when it looks like a run, pulls it back, and throws the pass. There’s a lot of skill to that,” Stefanski noted.
If we consider Stefanski’s approach, it’s clear he’s paying individual attention to each quarterback, assessing their strengths, weaknesses, and the unique dimensions of their play-calling styles. As for the QB competition, there’s ample time to identify the right fit before the preseason games. But for Browns fans, the team’s methodical approach under Stefanski is a promising sign.
