Insider shares if alleged speeding incidents will cost Shedeur Sanders in Browns' QB competition

Whispers emerged last week suggesting that rookie Shedeur Sanders could lose some momentum in the competition for the Cleveland Browns' Week 1 starting quarterback job after he was cited for speeding in Ohio twice and also failed to appear for an arraignment regarding the first citation. 

For a mailbag published on Monday, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer indicated that little has changed in the battle for the team's QB1 gig that involves Sanders, fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, veteran Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. 

"The Browns will address the tickets and possibly deliver some kind of consequences for conduct detrimental to the team, especially considering the second one came during rookie orientation," Cabot wrote. "But I doubt his reps or status in the competition will be impacted. He left minicamp as the fourth-team quarterback and will likely open training camp the same way. As for Gabriel, he started spring practices ahead of Sanders largely because of his computer-like head-start of the pre-snap process, but Sanders can catch up quickly."

Multiple stories surfaced during the second half of June hinting that Flacco began the Browns' summer break as the favorite to earn the Week 1 starting job. Flacco's ability to sell fakes in the play-action passing game reportedly gives him an edge over the other three active quarterbacks on the Cleveland roster. Additionally, the 40-year-old has been referred to as "the best pure thrower of the four-man quarterback group." 

The Browns selected Gabriel in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft before they took a flier on Sanders in the fifth round. Cabot predicted that Gabriel "will probably start" Cleveland's second preseason game, a matchup at the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 16. Sanders could also see significant playing time during at least that contest. 

"The Browns were very impressed with how quickly Sanders progressed over the final two weeks of practices, including mandatory minicamp," Cabot added. 

As of Tuesday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook had Flacco as a +110 betting favorite to start Cleveland's regular-season opener versus the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. Pickett was second on the list at +200 odds, followed by Gabriel (+500) and Sanders (+700). 

Plenty can change over the next two months, but it certainly seems like industry insiders expect Sanders will be a spectator when the Browns host the Bengals on the first Sunday of September.