Cleveland Browns Gearing For 'Intense' Quarterback Competition: Shedeur Sanders Surge?

"This is the first chance that we get to look out there and see how these guys look going head-to-head, throwing to the same receivers, veterans competing against rookies, and starting this quarterback competition in earnest," Cabot said. "It's not just this week, it'll be all 10 practices of OTAs. Those guys can really upset the apple cart and the pecking order heading into minicamp depending on how they do during these OTAs."

As Cabot noted, Sanders and Gabriel only had to worry about each other during the team's rookie minicamp earlier this month. OTAs are still a somewhat controlled environment compared to training camp, but the four-man battle has truly begun with the NFL world watching closely.

"The spotlight will be on them every single rep, every single practice, every single meeting that they have," Cabot said. "Everything that they do will be evaluated. It's going to be intense. We haven't seen a quarterback competition like this around here in a very, very long time, and certainly not at all during the Kevin Stefanski era. So now it begins."

That's quite the statement considering the Browns' well-documented quarterback carousel since their return to Cleveland in 1999. In those 26 seasons, the Browns have had 18 different quarterbacks lead the team in passing yards, including Flacco in 2023.

Sanders, the son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders, has so far impressed Stefanski in his journey to "upset the apple cart." Several analysts have also shared their belief that the younger Sanders will earn Cleveland's starting job at some point this season.

"Shedeur is a great kid," Stefanski told ESPN Cleveland. "Whether it's a following that he's earned, I mean, that's something that he's done a great job of, interacting with fans. But he is a great, great kid. You guys will get to know him. He's working like crazy, just like all the guys... My office is downstairs. They gotta walk by my office as they come in. They come in early, and Shedeur, just like all those guys, he's in there early, he's getting his work done. So he's working really, really hard."