Kevin Stefanski details Browns' four-way QB competition

Recent reports indicated that the Cleveland Browns will hold a pair of quarterback competitions this summer. 

One will feature veteran Joe Flacco battling with 2022 first-round draft choice Kenny Pickett for the starting job. The other will involve rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders competing for either the QB2 or QB3 gig, depending on how general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski finalize the active roster ahead of Week 1. 

During a Friday appearance on ESPN Cleveland, Stefanski previewed what fans can expect from the signal-callers during training camp. 

"The big thing for us is making sure we give the guys enough reps that they need," Stefanski said, Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper of shared. "Making sure that they have enough — It’s twofold. They’re learning the system, they’re developing and we’re evaluating them. We’re finding out about them. It’s not going to be, everybody gets 25 percent of the reps. That’s not how it’s gonna be. We want to give everybody enough reps where we can learn more about them and prepare them to get ready to play."

Some may think those comments suggest Flacco is an early frontrunner to begin the season atop the depth chart. After all, he's the only active quarterback on Cleveland's roster who has faced defenses in meaningful games while playing in Stefanski's offense, so the 40-year-old doesn't need to "learn the system" or "develop" while working with the coaching staff. 

During the second half of the 2023 season, Flacco went 4-1 as Cleveland's temporary QB1 to guide the club to a playoff berth. As of Friday afternoon, FanDuel Sportsbook listed Flacco as the betting favorite at +116 odds to be named Cleveland's Week 1 starter. FanDuel had Pickett second on the list at +200 odds. 

As for Sanders, he was arguably the most-recognized name in his draft class before he fell to the fifth round. Cleveland fans are hoping he'll get an opportunity to win the starting job, and it seems the polarizing prospect has impressed Stefanski over the past month: