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Cleveland Browns quarterbacks Kenny Pickett, left, Dillon Gabriel, center, and Joe Flacco warm up during an NFL practice at the Cleveland Browns training facility on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Shedeur Sanders Shining Brighter Than Dillon Gabriel? Cleveland Browns Quarterback Competition

Originally posted on Oregon Ducks on SI
By Arden Cravalho | Last updated May 29, 2025 1:30 PM ET

On the second day of the Cleveland Browns' organized team activities or OTAs, it seemed clear that former Colorado Buffaloes star Shedeur Sanders had the best practice of all the quarterbacks on the field. However, former Oregon Ducks star Dillon Gabriel emerged as a winner because he had the most reps (with veteran Kenny Pickett) of any of the quarterbacks.

Here are the recorded stats from Day 2:

Joe Flacco: 9-for-15 (60 percent completion rate) - one touchdown, zero interceptions
Kenny Pickett: 9-for-16 (56.3 percent completion rate) - zero touchdowns, zero interceptions
Dillon Gabriel: 11-for-16 (68.8 percent completion rate) - two touchdowns, one interception
Shedeur Sanders: 7-for-9 (77.7 percent completion rate) - three touchdowns, zero interceptions

Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What stood out from Sanders was his efficiency and ball placement compared to the other three quarterbacks. Reports from practice in Berea detail an intense competition and that both Sanders and Gabriel are firmly in the mix to earn the starting job.

Gabriel was taken with the No. 94 overall pick in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Sanders followed him with the No. 144 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

There is plenty of debate and conflicting reports on who is leading the competition.

"I wouldn't be shocked to see Shedeur (Sanders) wind up winning the starting job coming out of training camp. I think he has a good a chance as any to surprise everyone... If this is an organic competition with a level playing field, he could be your starter in Week 1. No questions about it."Louis Riddick on ESPN's Get Up

"I think we could see Shedeur play for the Browns. I'm rooting for him. I don't think Shedeur (Sanders) is better than Dillon (Gabriel)."Kyle Long on CBS Sports

"He's in there early, he's getting his work done, he's working really, really hard. I like everything there is about Shedeur (Sanders)."Coach Kevin Stefanski on ESPN Cleveland

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Heading into the draft, the largest question mark surrounding Dillon Gabriel was his height. His pass in the video below gets batted down as it's hard for him to see over the offensive line at times.

Mason Graham tips the Gabriel pass and it’s picked pic.twitter.com/LU6HHDxtOl
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) May 28, 2025

Sanders, along with the other quarterbacks in the room, is aware that it's a competition for the starting job, but that doesn't mean that they don't respect respect for one another. The group wants to make each other better athletes at the end of the day.

“He’s (Dillon Gabriel) a cool person. I like how he handles situations, especially just the negative media that’s coming his way. I’m just happy he’s positive; he’s able to handle everything. We’re truly cool.”Shedeur Sanders on via SportsCastinG

Here's some Dillon Gabriel work from today's OTA session. #Browns pic.twitter.com/SXfr57VdYE
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) May 28, 2025

NFL 17-year veteran Joe Flacco may receive the short end of the stick when it comes to reps. As for Kenny Pickett, it seems he could be traded before training camp begins. Deshaun Watson suffered a second Achilles tear in January. While his status is up in the air, the Cleveland organization isn't ruling out a return sometime during the 2025 campaign.