For the first time in years, there’s real competition at the quarterback position in Cleveland, as the Browns have gone all-in on stacking depth. Before the draft, they signed veteran Joe Flacco and brought in Kenny Pickett, anticipating that Deshaun Watson might miss most of the upcoming season. But they weren’t done yet. During the draft, the Browns shocked everyone by selecting not one, but two quarterbacks—Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth.
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No one expects either Shedeur or Dillon to start right away, with Flacco projected as the likely QB1. However, the Super Bowl-winning veteran is only a short-term solution, and someone will have to take over once he moves on. If Cleveland stumbles out of the gate, head coach Kevin Stefanski might turn to one of the rookies to evaluate who shows the most promise as a long-term starter.
So, who has the edge? Chris Broussard recently shared his thoughts—and he’s leaning toward the Colorado alum.
Broussard confidently predicted that Shedeur Sanders will be the first of the two rookies to see the field. He believes Sanders has more upside than Gabriel, whose draft stock positioned him more as a career backup. In Broussard’s view, Shedeur was always on track to be a starter before his puzzling draft-day slide. He expects Sanders’ talent to shine through as the season progresses.
“It’s got to be Shedeur. Gabriel is even the projections were career backup at best. Shedeur, at least potential is there to be a starter, and virtually everyone going into the draft believed that. But I think Shedeur is better than Dillon Gabriel. And I think he’ll show it as they go forward.”
That makes it crucial to see what they have in Sanders and Gabriel now. Do either of them have the tools to build around? Or will the Browns need to hit the reset button once again? Broussard is betting that Sanders, more than the Oregon product, will rise to the top.
Nick Wright highlighted an important point: since the Browns drafted Dillon Gabriel ahead of Shedeur Sanders, the Colorado alum must fight hard to get on the field first—otherwise, he risks falling into an awkward spot on the depth chart. Wright emphasized that Sanders needs to battle tooth and nail to move ahead of the Oregon product, and making that jump should be his top priority.
According to Wright, Shedeur has the talent to make that happen. But if he fails to beat out Gabriel, it may prove that the Browns didn’t actually underdraft him—he simply wasn’t as good as his supporters believed.
While Wright doesn’t expect either rookie quarterback to start the season, he believes that if Cleveland needs a QB midseason, Sanders should be the one they turn to.
“The Browns value Gabriel more. They took him in the third round, and they took Shedeur in the 5th round. With that being acknowledged, it’s a big problem for Shedeur if the answer to the question isn’t him. If Shedeur wants a chance to prove his believers right, right now, his singular battle is to move ahead of Gabriel in the depth chart.”
It’s difficult to determine whether Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel is the better quarterback at this point, as neither has taken a snap in the NFL. Both were capable starters at the college level, but the pros are an entirely different challenge. While their college experience provides a foundation, it won’t be enough on its own to earn a starting job. This is a critical period for both quarterbacks to prove they belong on the roster and to show they’re ready to step up when the team calls on them.
