The Cleveland Browns are likely heading into the new season with four quarterbacks on the roster: two veterans—Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett—and two rookies—Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. As things stand, the veterans appear to be ahead in the pecking order, with Flacco and Pickett expected to serve as QB1 and QB2, respectively. Among the rookies, Gabriel seems to have the edge as QB3, while the Colorado alum, Sanders, finds himself at the bottom of the depth chart.
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His lack of first-team reps during training camp hasn’t gone unnoticed and runs counter to the “open competition” approach head coach Kevin Stefanski had promised at the start of camp.
Some believe Sanders could be a cut candidate, but others are holding out hope—perhaps even rooting for the Browns to lose games. NFL analyst Warren Sharp is among those who would prefer the veterans not to find success this season. His reasoning? If Flacco and Pickett struggle, the organization might finally turn to the rookies in search of long-term solutions.
Sharp doesn’t see Flacco as anything more than a short-term stopgap, and he’s unconvinced that Pickett has what it takes to be a franchise quarterback. In his view, the Browns would be wise to give Sanders and Gabriel a real shot to compete for the starting job—if not this year, then certainly in 2026.
And if both rookies fail to impress? That’s not the end of the road. The Browns hold multiple first-round picks in next year’s draft, putting them in a strong position to draft another quarterback—someone who could finally bring the long-term stability the franchise has been searching for.
” What I hope will happen is that Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett will not win any games for the Cleveland Browns. That’s my hope. I want to see the younger kids produce. We know Flacco is not going to be a franchise QB, and he’s old. We know Pickett is not a franchise QB. I want to see what Shedeur Sanders has. I want to see what Dylan Gabriel has. I want to see what these guys have, and if they lose games, guess what, they aren’t the guy, and you are going to get good draft pick next year.”
Warren Sharp’s hope might not be far from reality. The Cleveland Browns have long been one of the most inconsistent and underperforming franchises in the NFL. That said, since hiring Kevin Stefanski, they’ve shown signs of improvement. In his five seasons as head coach, the Browns have made the playoffs twice and posted an 11-win campaign.
Still, inconsistency remains. They’ve finished with a losing record three times under Stefanski and landed at the bottom of their division twice. Their worst season came when they managed just three wins. More often than not, it’s been their defense—not the quarterback play—that has carried them.
Joe Flacco helped steady the ship last season, leading the Browns to an 11-6 finish and a playoff berth. Flacco played well during that stretch, winning four of the five games he started. But that’s the key—he only played five games.
He hasn’t started a full season since 2017. At this stage of his career, expecting him to hold up for all 17 games is risky. He may string together a few wins here and there, but he’s just as likely to hit cold streaks. Even last season, with a better supporting cast in Indianapolis, he managed only two wins. And his Super Bowl pedigree doesn’t erase his well-known tendency to throw interceptions.
Then there’s Kenny Pickett. He spent last season as a backup in Philadelphia, and before that, he was the starter in Pittsburgh—but even there, the wins came largely thanks to the defense and Mike Tomlin’s coaching. Pickett hasn’t shown the traits of a reliable starter. In fact, Mason Rudolph eventually replaced him during his second year with the Steelers. He’s yet to complete a full season, and those small hands aren’t going to help him win games in Cleveland.
Given all that, the Cleveland Browns might be better off turning to the rookies when things inevitably start to go sideways. Tanking another season wouldn’t be the worst outcome. With multiple first-round picks in next year’s draft, they’d be well-positioned to select a top quarterback—someone who could finally become the long-term solution the franchise desperately needs.
