Analyst explains what makes Browns' four-way QB competition 'complicated'

One of the more interesting NFL storylines of the summer is bound to be the Cleveland Browns' four-way competition for their starting quarterback job involving veteran Joe Flacco, 2022 first-round draft selection Kenny Pickett, 2025 third-round pick Dillon Gabriel and 2025 fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders. 

ESPN NFL analyst Bill Barnwell explained why the Browns' quarterback situation is "even more complicated" than some may realize. 

"The quarterbacks aren't stylistically similar," Barnwell said of Cleveland's four active signal-callers. "Flacco thrived two years ago as an under-center, play-action threat in coach Kevin Stefanski's offense, providing it with a high-risk, high-reward downfield passer. Pickett has worked out of shotgun and has won games by mostly avoiding big mistakes. Gabriel worked out of a spread offense at Oregon and was more of a distributor who threw accurate underneath passes without scaring teams as a downfield thrower. Sanders was in [a run-pass option-heavy offense] and played hero ball far too often when asked to drop back behind a dismal offensive line."

Assuming Aaron Rodgers will soon sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland likely will be responsible for the worst quarterback room of the four AFC North clubs this August. While Flacco won the Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award after he guided the 2023 Browns to a playoff berth, he looked like a past-his-prime quarterback when he played poorly with the Indianapolis Colts this past fall. The Steelers gave up on Pickett after just two seasons, and he spent the majority of the 2024 campaign as a backup with the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Of the rookies, most predicted before the draft that Gabriel would be a third-day selection. Meanwhile, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer recently revealed that a source told him that "he didn’t know of any team that had [Sanders] rated in the first three rounds." Browns insider Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand later said that the club does not consider either Gabriel or Sanders "as legit candidates to lead the team in 2025."

Barnwell added that the Browns seemingly wanted to "build a team in which the quarterback means as little as possible" heading into training camp. Part of that process likely involves having Jerome Ford, who led the Browns last season with 565 rushing yards and 104 carries, sharing touches with rookie ball-carriers Quinshon Judkins (second round, pick No. 36) and Dylan Sampson (fourth round, pick No. 126).

As of Thursday afternoon, FanDuel Sportsbook listed Flacco as the betting favorite at +116 odds to emerge this summer as Cleveland's Week 1 QB1. Even if Flacco or Pickett win the job for the regular-season opener, it seems likely Gabriel and Sanders will see playing time later in the season unless the Browns are viewed as legitimate playoff contenders in November.