Fans and analysts have assumed ever since the Cleveland Browns added rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel to their quarterback room via the 2025 draft that the club could trade or cut veteran Joe Flacco or 2022 first-round selection Kenny Pickett so that the Browns can have both Sanders and Gabriel on their active roster in September.
For a mailbag published on Sunday, Browns insider Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand explained how Cleveland could surprise some by carrying all four signal-callers on its roster for the regular-season opener versus the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7.
“Carrying four QBs is more doable now than ever because practice squads have been increased to 16 players,” Grossi wrote. “So, if you short-change one position group to squeeze in a fourth quarterback, you can load up at that position on the practice squad and use your weekly activations, as needed. I can easily see the Browns entering the season with four QBs. Within a month of the season, teams will lose QBs to injuries, and a trade market will develop before the deadline on Nov. 4. In order for a QB to be moved to the practice squad, the player would have to be exposed to waivers and then re-signed. I don’t see the Browns doing that. Of course, training camp and preseason can change plans.”
Some have suggested that Cleveland could trade either Pickett or Flacco to a New Orleans Saints side that’s holding a competition for its starting quarterback job that features rookie Tyler Shough battling with 2024 fifth-round draft choice Spencer Rattler and 2023 fourth-rounder Jake Haener. Pickett had first-year New Orleans head coach Kellen Moore as his offensive coordinator when the two were with the Philadelphia Eagles last season.
That said, a recent report noted that the Browns are “trending toward” starting Pickett for their Week 1 game against the Bengals. As of Monday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook listed Shough as the betting favorite at -310 odds to be New Orleans’ Week 1 QB1.
It’s unknown if Browns 2024 Week 1 starter Deshaun Watson will play during the upcoming season after he suffered a torn Achilles this past October and then tore the Achilles again during his recovery. For now, he doesn’t seem to be part of the equation regarding Cleveland’s quarterback plans.
“I don’t think any QB will be cut unless one looks awful in preseason, which I doubt,” Grossi added. “I believe Gabriel and Sanders are competing for the backup jobs. They will have their opportunities over the next four years, trust me.”
It seems to outsiders that the Browns will enter September with either Pickett or Flacco atop the depth chart unless either Sanders or Gabriel looks like a revelation during preseason matchups. Assuming Grossi is right, it sounds as if all four quarterbacks could take at least one meaningful in-game snap for Cleveland before the 2025 season comes to an end.
