Cleveland Browns Have Big Decision with Crowded QB Room

The Cleveland Browns have a very crowded quarterback room going into this upcoming season. They signed veteran quarterback Joe Flacco in free agency and traded for Kenny Pickett from Philadelphia. They also took two quarterbacks in this year’s NFL draft. What is Cleveland going to do with all these quarterbacks? 

Cleveland Browns Quarterback Options for Right Now

It’s safe to say that Flacco will most likely start Week 1 for Cleveland. He’s the quarterback with the most NFL experience, and he knows the Browns system as he was with Cleveland during the 2023 season. He’ll probably be the starter for this season and one of the quarterbacks the Cleveland Browns drafted can learn from him for a year. 

What are the Cleveland Browns plans with Pickett? Does he know what the plan is? All jokes aside, he’s a puzzling case. He won’t start over Flacco unless an injury happens, so he’s kind of just there. The notion around him can change once training camp starts, but it can be assumed that the Browns want Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel to learn from Flacco this season. 

The Quarterback Options for The Future

Either Sanders or Gabriel will be the franchise quarterback for the Browns in the next two seasons or so. It just comes down to which one it will be. Gabriel was taken in the third round with the 94th pick but spent time in college with three different schools. He might be as much of an insurance policy for the Browns as Pickett is. The jury is out on him for right now. 

The biggest wild card in the QB room is obviously Sanders. The quarterback that was projected to go in the first round dropped all the way down to Round Five. The talent is there, but with him being Deion Sanders’s son, if you draft him, his dad and brand come with it. There’s no doubt that Sanders is the quarterback that has the most potential in this QB room, but also the most risk. 

Last Thoughts

The Cleveland Browns planned this draft approach very cautiously, but also very intelligently. There are two quarterbacks for the now and the future that have big question marks, including Deshaun Watson and Sanders. If Watson’s injuries keep him out long-term, they have depth. If Gabriel doesn’t work out, they have Sanders. The approach here is definitely quantity-based.