The Browns have a quarterback fetish, and they intend to put it on display for all to see this offseason. With four healthy quarterbacks under contract, they hope to provide an opportunity for all to compete for the starting job. As Steelers fans, we know how these sorts of things can go, though, especially with new and rookie quarterbacks.
The Browns’ “starting” quarterback, Deshaun Watson, is recovering from an Achilles injury and may not even play at all this season. Even if team doctors clear him to play, they may not want to play him. To that end, they have stockpiled quarterbacks this offseason, and intend to give them all a shot.
“In an effort to make the four-way competition [quarterback] among Kenny Pickett, third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, Joe Flacco and Shedeur Sanders as fair and efficient as possible, the Browns will essentially run two concurrent passing camps during organized team activities, mandatory minicamp and possibly into training camp”, Mary Kay Cabot wrote for Cleveland.com.
The Browns acquired former Steelers QB Kenny Pickett via trade this offseason, having spent last year with the Eagles. They then signed Joe Flacco, who helped lead them to the playoffs in 2023. During the 2025 NFL Draft, they selected Dillion Gabriel in the third round. But when Shedeur Sanders fell to the fifth round, they opted to take him anyway.
Prior to the draft, the Browns sounded like they really believed Pickett could be their quarterback. Perhaps he is even the proverbial leader in the clubhouse, with the best combination of youth and experience. Gabriel and Sanders are, of course, rookies with no experience, while Flacco is near the end of his career.
Since returning to the NFL in 1999, the Browns have never successfully landed a franchise quarterback. Despite numerous attempts at drafting one in the first round, they have repeatedly swung and missed. Their best shot has proven to be Baker Mayfield, whom they gave up on to pursue alleged sexual miscreant Deshaun Watson.
The organization’s many failures, of course, are what have put them in this place to begin with. I don’t know, quite frankly, if anybody has ever done what the Browns reportedly intend to do with this quarterback competition, at least in the NFL. But they have loaded up on wide receivers for the purpose, including Diontae Johnson—or did you forget about that?
“The key is to divide the reps in such a way that the QBs are on as level a playing field as possible”, Cabot writes. However they manage it, they want to assure that each quarterback has the opportunity to throw to equivalent talent. In intervals, they will all work with both the stars and the tryout-type players.
Cabot offers nothing but speculation about how the Browns will juggle and pair their quarterbacks, but we’ll find out soon. Cleveland begins OTAs on May 27. For some dumb reason, they have opted to have only five of a possible 10 OTA practices. Good luck with trying to figure out who your starter is as soon as possible while passing on those opportunities.
