Colorado Buffaloes football legend Shedeur Sanders and fellow Cleveland Browns rookie Dillon Gabriel may be staying in Berea for the foreseeable future.
Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reported that Sanders and Gabriel will both “undoubtedly make the team” on Sunday.
“The good thing for Gabriel and Sanders, who will both undoubtedly make the team, is that they’ll get plenty of playing time in the preseason considering the Browns will conduct joint practices before their preseason opener in Carolina Aug. 8, and their second preseason game in Philadelphia Aug. 16. The previous two times the Browns have practiced against the Eagles, they rested their starters in the game. If the rookies knock it out of the park in those joint sessions and games, they’ll remain in the starting conversation,” Cabot wrote.
If anything, Cabot painted Kenny Pickett as the odd man out in the Browns’ quarterback competition.
“As for Pickett, the Browns didn’t play to his strengths in spring ball, focusing more on under-center play-action and vertical shots downfield, with very little movement. It’s more suited to the Flacco style of play, which he excelled at here in 2023. But once the Browns get into camp and games with fewer restrictions, they’ll take more advantage of Pickett’s athleticism and mobility, with keepers and off-schedule plays,” Cabot wrote.
MORE: Shedeur Sanders primed to beat out Dillon Gabriel, Kenny Pickett for Browns' QB2 role
Then again, Cleveland GM Andrew Berry may want to keep all four quarterbacks on the roster this season.
Joe Flacco reportedly has a “leg up on the competition” given his experience in Kevin Stefanski’s system.
Tommy Rees was not the offensive coordinator when Flacco led Cleveland to the postseason in 2023/2024, but there’s more than enough familiarity to consider him the man to beat in the QB race.
Flacco has the accolades, Sanders and Gabriel have youth, and Pickett has a second chance to prove he can be what many prognosticated for him coming out of Pitt in 2022.
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