Shedeur Sanders Loves Joe Flacco: Cleveland Browns Quarterbacks Room Divided?

Sanders was born in 2002, the same year that Flacco signed his letter of intent to play college football at Pittsburgh. Sanders and Flacco are different generations but appear to be getting along swimmingly. Sanders told Adams that Flacco gives him advice.

"And then, of course with Kenny (Pickett), the experience he had being in the league for these years, it is cool. Like, just seeing the process of it. And Deshaun, he's active in there. He's in all the meetings, so it's cool talking to him," Sanders continued.

Sanders and Flacco have been paired together to split the third and fourth team reps as the team prepares for training camp and preseason games. The Browns plan to have former first round NFL Draft pick Kenny Pickett and former Oregon Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel splitting the first and second team reps to begin NFL Organized Team Activities (OTAs) according to a report from Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot.

The Browns quarterback conundrum is one of the most interesting NFL offseason storylines. Will a veteran or rookie earn the starting job? Will one of the five quarterbacks be traded? Is there beef between any of the players, particularly the rookies?

"Everybody's cool in the room," Sanders told Adams. "You know, outside the room, people try to put us against each other, but inside the room, we know we (are) one."

Sounds like the Browns quarterbacks are letting the competition play out on the field and not letting outside pressures affect the chemistry in the room.

Reps will come at a premium as the pecking order of the depth chart becomes clearer amid organized team activities (OTAs.) No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills are allowed. The Browns' OTA offseason workout dates are May 27-29 and June 3-5. After the 10 "voluntary" OTA practices, the offseason program ends with a mandatory veteran minicamp set for June 10-12.

How did the Browns quarterbacks room get so crowded?

The Browns signed 40-year-old Flacco as a free agent before trading the Philadelphia Eagles for Kenny Pickett. Then in the 2025 NFL Draft, Cleveland selected former Oregon Ducks quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist Dillon Gabriel in the third round. Then, when former  Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Sanders was still available in the fifth round, Cleveland felt it had to jump on the opportunity. Also, Deshaun Watson is still on the team but is working through rehab after suffering a re-rupture of his injured Achilles.

The rookie Sanders isn't backing down from the challenge of the competition. The middle son of NFL legend and Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders, Shedeur is often scrutinized for his family and the consistent media attention that comes with it.

“My job here isn’t to prove people wrong, I’m proving myself right,” Sanders said during rookie minicamp. “I fully believe it. What those people say, that’s just their opinions. I don’t truly care. They don’t really live in my mental space about that type of stuff. It really doesn’t do anything for me.”