The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback competition remains wide open.
With Deshaun Watson sidelined indefinitely following a second Achilles surgery, the Browns are evaluating four options: veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
But after early offseason camps, no one has seized control of the starting job.
The delay in naming a starter is raising concerns, with many insiders warning it could disrupt the team’s rhythm at training camp.
Zac Jackson of The Athletic recently spotlighted the issue, calling it a “lingering question” the Browns must answer soon.
“What are the plans — yes, multiple — for the quarterbacks?” Jackson wrote. “The four-man quarterback competition gets the headlines, and will get the scrutiny once it really gets going in late July. Could fifth-round rookie Shedeur Sanders win the job by September? Probably not, given that Sanders is the only one of the four to take no first-team reps in the spring, but we’ll see. Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett are only signed through 2025. … Could the Browns really keep all four? Will there be a pre-deadline for the team to focus only on the future? Truly, there are numerous ways this can go.”
Reports from minicamp suggested that Pickett and Gabriel might have a slight edge.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski has emphasized that the competition is ongoing, but the clock is ticking.
With the preseason opener a little more than a month away, fans and analysts are urging the team to draw clearer lines: starters in one group, backups in another.
Without that direction, the offense risks losing its identity before the season even begins.
After last year’s spiral, the Browns can’t afford another misstep.
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