Browns Will Keep Four Quarterbacks On Roster

“Honestly, it’s not much of a decision for us,” Berry said, via Mike Garafolo. “All four guys have done what we’ve asked. … We have a room that we like all the guys in there. We don’t really see that as a problem. We see it more as an opportunity.”

With QB Kenny Pickett sidelined due to a hamstring injury, QB Tyler Huntley unlikely to make the roster, and QB Deshaun Watson on injured reserve, HC Kevin Stefanski has gotten a good look at quarterbacks Joe Flacco , Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders.

All three have performed well in the preseason, and despite rumors that one of the group could be traded, it now appears unlikely that will happen. Garafolo notes that the team also kept four quarterbacks on its initial 53-man roster last year.

Flacco, 40, is a former first-round pick of the Ravens back in 2008. After over a decade in Baltimore, the Broncos agreed to trade a 2019 fourth-round pick to the Ravens for Flacco.

Flacco was in the fourth year of a six-year, $125 million contract that contained $44 million guaranteed and set to make a base salary of $20.25 million for 2020 when Denver released him with a failed physical designation.

He signed a one-year con tract worth $1.5 million and up to $4.5 million with the Jets in 2020 before joining the Eagles in 2021. Philadelphia traded him back to the Jets ahead of the deadline for a conditional sixth-round pick. 

Flacco later re-signed with the Jets on a one-year, $3.5 million deal in 2022. He signed on with the Browns during the season in 2023 and parlayed a strong performance into a deal with the Colts in 2024. 

He re-signed with Cleveland on a one-year deal this offseason.

In 2024, Flacco appeared in eight games for the Colts with six starts, completing 65.3 percent of his pass attempts for 1,761 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

Pickett, 27, played at Pittsburgh University, and the Steelers used the No. 20 overall pick on him in the 2022 draft. He was the 2021 ACC Player of the Year, First Team All-ACC, and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting. 

Pickett signed a four-year, $14,067,904 contract that includes a $7,411,203 signing bonus. There is also a fifth-year option for the team to pick up in 2025. Pittsburgh traded him to the Eagles last year. 

The Browns acquired Pickett from the Eagles this offseason but declined his fifth-year option a few months later. 

In 2024, Pickett appeared in five games with one start for the Eagles and completed 25 of 42 passes (59.5 percent) for 291 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He added nine carries for 15 yards and a touchdown. 

Gabriel, 24, grew up in Hawaii and committed to UCF. He started as a true freshman and spent three years as the starter at UCF before transferring to Oklahoma. He transferred again to Oregon for his final season of eligibility. 

Gabriel earned second-team All-AAC honors in 2020, first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2023, and first-team All-American, first-team All-Big 10, and Big 10 Player of the Year honors in 2024 after leading Oregon to a berth in the College Football Playoff. He also set the record for most career starts in college football history with 63. 

He signed a four-year,  $6,226,322 rookie contract that includes a $1,168,232 signing bonus. 

During his six-year college career, Gabriel completed 65.2 percent of his pass attempts for 18,722 yards, 155 touchdowns and 32 interceptions, adding 1,209 rushing yards and another 33 scores on the ground. 

Sanders, 22, was a two-year starter at Jackson State before transferring to Colorado ahead of the 2023 season, following his father and coach, former NFL star Deion Sanders. He started two more years at Colorado before declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft. 

The Browns traded up to select Sanders with the No. 144 overall pick in the fifth round. He signed a four-year, $4.646 million rookie contract that includes a $447,380 signing bonus. 

In two years at Colorado, Sanders completed 71.8 percent of his pass attempts for 7,364 yards, 64 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 24 career games, adding eight more scores on the ground.

We will have more on the Browns quarterback situation as it becomes available.