The 2025 rookie class of the Cleveland Browns will report to training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus in Berea, Ohio, tomorrow, Friday, July 18. That includes Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and the rest of the veterans will arrive four days later, on July 22.
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Right now, it seems all but certain that Flacco will be the starter for Week 1. He’s a consummate pro, and he’s played in head coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense before. However, the 40-year-old is clearly not the future in Cleveland, so one of the other three guys will have to step up and wrestle the job from the 2023 Comeback Player of the Year.
Shedeur seems to be at the bottom of the depth chart right now, but he is definitely the most exciting proposition of the trio. ESPN analyst Kevin Clark broke down a path to the QB1 role for Sanders during the first half of his rookie season. It’s simple: wait.
“The No. 1 thing any Cleveland Browns quarterback should do, and has done, is just wait,” Clark said on Get Up.
“The QBs in front of you will fail, or cycle out, age out… You have Joe Flacco there, who shouldn’t be that hard to beat over the course of a season. You have Dillon Gabriel, who’s a third-round pick, who I don’t think is particularly good. You might be able to beat him out in training camp if you do the work, look good in practice.”
Clark went on to joke that Sanders’ top priority above all should be driving the speed limit. After all, he received two moving violations in June. The analyst added that all Sanders needs to do is “keep his head down” and limit mistakes. That actually plays to his strengths, given he set an NCAA record for completion percentage last year at Colorado.
“If I’m him, I just keep my head down. Do my job. Wait for November, December, you will get your opportunity. That is the history of Cleveland Browns starting quarterbacks.”
Former NFLer Dominique Foxworth was in agreement. But, he didn’t believe Flacco would be so easily moved off his perch atop the depth chart. Former NFL WR Harry Douglas was also on the panel. He pinpointed a Week 7 home matchup against the Miami Dolphins in October as the time when Sanders would get his first chance.
They get the Patriots, then their bye, then the Jets, after that Miami matchup. A pretty soft landing zone for a rookie QB, no matter who you ask. We would tend to agree with Douglas, though waiting until the Week 9 bye week to make the switch is also possible.
