Reporter addresses if Browns have preference in Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel competition

Some Cleveland Browns fans have assumed that general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski will give rookie Dillon Gabriel more opportunities than fellow first-year pro Shedeur Sanders to win the club's ongoing quarterback competition.  

Cleveland selected Gabriel in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft before the Browns made Sanders a fifth-round choice. 

For a mailbag published on Sunday, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer insisted that Berry and Stefanski "aren’t big-ego guys by any stretch" and "would never make football decisions to prove themselves right" regarding their draft board. 

"They’ll start whoever gives them the best chance to win, even if fans and media don’t agree," Cabot continued. "As for giving Gabriel more first-team reps and some 11-on-11s in (organized team activities) and minicamp, it’s because Gabriel arrived ready to handle everything a quarterback has on his plate, from pre-snap protocol to finishing the play. His excellent processing speed was evident to teams during pre-draft meetings, with one source saying he interviewed as well as anyone in the class."

Sanders seemingly impressed onlookers with his on-the-field performances that were open to media members this spring, but Cabot noted that the polarizing prospect is still fourth on the Cleveland depth chart behind Gabriel, veteran Joe Flacco and 2022 first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett. 

The Browns reportedly are "trending toward" starting Pickett for their Week 1 game versus the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7 after Cleveland sent backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a 2025 fifth-round draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for Pickett back in March.

"Sanders did such a great job with the reps he got, he earned more 11-on-11s and some time with the starters in training camp," Cabot added. "What’s more, he and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel will likely get the bulk of the snaps in the preseason games, considering that the Browns will conduct joint practices before their first two, against Carolina and Philadelphia. There will be enough quality work to go around that the competition will be fair, and the Browns should have a good idea who their starter is by the end of Philly joint sessions in mid-August."

In a different piece updated on Sunday, Cabot repeated that Flacco and Pickett will head into training camp as the two favorites to emerge as Cleveland's Week 1 QB1. That likely won't sit well with some fans since Flacco is 40 years old and Pickett is viewed by many as a backup who the Pittsburgh Steelers discarded after his first two pro seasons. 

Nevertheless, it sounds as if those Browns supporters should prepare themselves to see either Flacco or Pickett take the first meaningful snap of the 2025 campaign in September.