Browns Training Camp Preview: Undecided QB Competition Takes Center Stage

What To Expect

Based on how Cleveland handled the QB rotation this spring, the aforementioned depth chart projection feels pretty reasonable. Flacco's familiarity with the offense and veteran presence should give him a slight edge in this competition.

That said, much has been made of Pickett's presence on this team and the fact that he was acquired via trade. He's made it clear he's here to compete for the starting job and team brass seems to believe he can be the next Sam Darnold reclamation story.

Ultimately, what's being called an "open competition" is actually more like two different battles altogether. Flacco and Pickett seem poised to duke it out for the rights to start the season under center, while the rookies, Gabriel and Sanders go head-to-head for the primary backup role. Whichever veteran doesn't win the job likely ends up as trade bait by the end of camp.

Perhaps one of Gabriel or Sanders can dazzle so much that they force Kevin Stefanski to start him in Week 1, but entering camp it seems like an uphill climb for either rookie to pull that off. Gabriel did take minimal reps with the ones during minicamp. An underlying storyline from this room will be when Sanders gets his first stab at running with the ones and how he looks when he does.

Stefanski and company are slow-playing things with the rookies, regardless. Get ready for Flacco and Pickett to receive the majority of first-team reps. Joint practices with the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles will be critical sessions for the two veterans in determining who has a leg up to earn the starting job.

What's the Word?

Browns Offensive Coordinator Tommy Rees on managing the QB reps in a four-way competition:

“It’s fluid for all those guys, right. All of them have opportunities up there with the first group. And look, we’re evaluating all the positions, so to say, hey, this is a, you know, first group, second group, like we’re evaluating as we roll, so it matters. I think there’s a certain confidence level, hey, you look across, you see Jerry Jeudy there, that builds confidence, right? You know, you look across, you have Poe (Ethan Pocic) calling the shots up front. That builds certain confidence. So again, all that is part of this process, all of that is part of the development for all those quarterbacks.”