The Cleveland Browns find themselves in a unique position heading into the 2025 season. While most teams already know who their starting quarterback will be in Week 1, the Browns will have to figure that out over the summer. Why, you ask?
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Cleveland has a crowded quarterback room. Deshaun Watson is vying for a comeback, having been the primary starter for the past two seasons. They brought back veteran Joe Flacco, who led them on an improbable playoff run two seasons ago. They also added Kenny Pickett in the offseason and drafted Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
That’s right, the Browns drafted two QBs this year — Gabriel in the third round and Sanders in the fifth. Since Gabriel and Shedeur are both rookies from the same draft class, they’ll be two quarterbacks to watch in Cleveland’s battle. And if you ask CFB analyst Phillips Dukes, both of them have huge potential.
Analyzing the two rookies on his YouTube channel, Dukesthescoop spoke about what each quarterback brings to the table and some of their attributes. He surprisingly called Gabriel a “more compact Bo Nix,” while also labeling Sanders as the college football “accuracy king.”
“Gabriel moves around, is a little shifty in the pocket, does have good accuracy, reminds some of a more compact Bo Nix,” Dukes said.
“Shedeur, accuracy king. No college quarterback was more accurate than Shedeur. Another guy who has really good ball placement, throws a really catchable balls. Good quarterback battle when you look at what the Browns have coming back this year,” he added.
That said, earlier this week, reports surfaced that Joe Flacco is in ‘pole position’ to be the Browns’ starting quarterback this season. This came after news broke that Deshaun Watson’s 2024 campaign could be in jeopardy due to an Achilles injury sustained during the offseason.
Joe Flacco is most likely to start for the Cleveland Browns
NFL insider Albert Breer dropped the news on The Rich Eisen Show on Tuesday that the Browns brought back Flacco this offseason, marking his second stint with the team.
During the 2023 season, Flacco filled in for an injured Watson and led the Browns to a 4-1 record, which helped them secure a playoff berth. As things currently stand, it seems they have more belief in Flacco than they do in their two rookies and veteran Kenny Pickett.
While Watson will likely be sidelined and on the injured reserve list to start the season, it seems like Flacco is QB1. The young bucks will have to battle for the last active spot or a practice squad spot. As things currently stand, here is what the Browns’ QB depth chart could look like:
- Joe Flacco
- Deshaun Watson
- Dillon Gabriel
- Shedeur Sanders
- Kenny Pickett
Who do you think will be cut from the Browns’ active roster?
