For much of the offseason, the Cleveland Browns have suggested that they could keep four quarterbacks heading into the regular season.
That's not an easy situation for the competitors in the QB battle, but it at least meant job security for the quartet of Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
The latest comments from Browns coach Kevin Stefanski are playing a different tune, though.
"I think we'll let it play out as we get closer to the cut down," Stefanski told reporters on Sunday, via ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi. "Those are all conversations that we are always having, but those are tough decisions. You know, I'd like to keep everybody, but not realistic."
"Realistic" is the key word, with Stefanski saying that the four-QB scenario simply doesn't fit that definition. And with Flacco expected to start Week 1, it's the others in jeopardy.
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Essentially no NFL team ever carries four quarterbacks on a 53-man roster, with rare exceptions when one of the QBs is a utility guy like Taysom Hill with the Saints.
Otherwise, that fourth quarterback spot is a position that would be better served with depth at a position where there is more rotation, and where there is one guy needed on the field at a time.
The Browns' ideal scenario would be to get one of Gabriel or Sanders onto the practice squad, which is a more normal arrangement. There are teams that will keep three QBs plus a young practice squad quarterback, too.
The problem there is that getting Gabriel or Sanders onto the practice squad leaves them open to being claimed by other teams. And, probably, a rookie QB who was drafted would get claimed elsewhere at this stage in their career.
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The Browns would probably try to do that anyway, if they deem that it's one of the rookies who has to go. It's more logical than a simple cut, because at least there's a chance the player gets to stay, even if the odds are slim.
Cleveland's other choice is to find a way to get rid of Pickett, the veteran who has a winning record in his career as a starting quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pickett came over for QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round pick in a trade from the Eagles this offseason, but he's been a bit dinged up and didn't really get a shot to win the starting job.
The Browns would probably want to recoup at least a little value for Pickett given that they just traded for him, so the best chance there is likely if QB depth gets hurt elsewhere to make Pickett more valuable to another team.
Somehow, though, it feels like a shoe is about to drop in Cleveland. It's just not yet clear which one.
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