The Cleveland Browns’ circus of a four-man QB battle this offseason came to a close earlier this week when head coach Kevin Stefanski predictably named veteran Joe Flacco as the team’s Week 1 starter ahead of Kenny Pickett and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
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Pickett has not played during the preseason due to an injury, but both Gabriel and Sanders impressed at varying levels during their preseason debuts. Nonetheless, the 40-year-old Flacco—who went 4-1 in Stefanski’s offense on the way to Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2023—will get the nod with zero preseason reps.
Troy Aikman, a Hall of Famer who famously went 0-11 as a rookie No. 1 overall pick with the Dallas Cowboys in 1989, believes that putting Flacco in the driver’s seat to start and having the rookies learn behind him makes sense. Especially because Aikman believes Stefanski is one of the best QB developers in the sport right now.
“I think a lot of Kevin Stefanski. So if I’m Shedeur, or if I’m Deion, I like that he’s there. I think he gets a chance to really get coached up well. And playing behind a veteran like Flacco, he gets to watch and learn how to be a pro. It’s something that I didn’t necessarily get. So I think that’s really positive for him.”
Nonetheless, Aikman went on to say that if he were in Shedeur Sanders’ shoes, he would be a little bit disappointed that he hasn’t been able to work on his craft under the radar.
“The only unfortunate thing from my perspective … is that he really hasn’t been allowed to go do his thing. Like, sometimes there’s comfort in anonymity, and just being able to go work on your craft, and put in the time, and then emerge victorious. Everything he does—he is a Sanders, so that’s part of it—and everything he does certainly is scrutinized; he’s accustomed to that. I think he’s gonna have a great story.”
Aikman—who played with Shedeur’s father, Deion Sanders, with the Cowboys from 1995-1999 and won a Super Bowl together that first year—has been keeping a close eye on his buddy’s son’s career. The Fox broadcaster said that he’s been dialed in on Shedeur’s career since his days at the HBCU Jackson State.
If we were to predict what’s going to happen in Cleveland, it would go something like this. Kenny Pickett is traded in the next couple of weeks, Flacco starts the first month and a half, and then one of the rookies takes over in October/November. It will then be a battle to see which of Gabriel and Sanders gets that first chance. And how they perform when they do.
