Colorado Buffaloes football legend Shedeur Sanders and fellow Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel have inspired hope that one of the two will take over under center in northeast Ohio soon.
Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett have done the opposite.
CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards predicts Sanders and/or Gabriel getting looks because the veterans didn’t win enough now to keep the trajectory a “win-now” one.
“Anyone's guess is as good as mine when it comes to the Browns quarterback situation. The other dynamic at play in regards to Sanders is the presence of fellow rookie Gabriel, who was actually the first of the two rookies drafted. It would not be a surprise if either started Week 1 over veterans Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, but it would also not be a surprise if three quarterbacks or more started for Cleveland this season,” Edwards wrote.
“If forced to make a decision, Week 10 against the Jets, coming off the bye, is the play. Coach Kevin Stefanski and the front office will have nine games afterward to assess a potential future with their rookie quarterbacks. They are positioned well with two first-round picks as part of the 2026 NFL Draft and need answers on what is already in the building.”
Sanders has impressed Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski at the team’s rookie minicamp and OTAs.
Meanwhile, Cleveland reportedly would’ve taken Gabriel with the No. 2 pick had he been over six feet three.
While Flacco cost money in free agency and Pickett cost the team a fifth-round pick to be swapped with Dorian Thompson-Robinson, there doesn’t seem to be any hesitancy from the team’s brain trust if it’s clear the two can’t take advantage of a roster built by GM Andrew Berry to win now.