There is a lot to be sorted out in Cleveland Browns camp on the heels of a disastrous 3-14 campaign, and no issue needs sorting more than the 4-man quarterback room that doesn’t even include Deshaun Watson, who will likely miss the 2025 season due to his twice-torn Achilles that has all but surely ended his tenure with the Browns.
In an effort to wash that bad taste of the Watson era out of their mouths, the Browns went out and brought in four new QBs this offseason, and one insider recently said that the early pecking order for this quartet is “clear.”
Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland said on the air Friday morning that the veterans are clearly ahead of the rookies on the depth chart at the moment, as is to be expected.
“Right now, it’s clear out there after the one day, Shedeur (Sanders) is fourth, (Dillon) Gabriel is third, (Kenny) Pickett is second, and (Joe) Flacco is first.”
Tony Grossi: “Right now it’s clear that Shedeur is fourth, Gabriel is third, Pickett is second, and Flacco is first. pic.twitter.com/W9QYOcojge
— BrownsNation.com (@BrownsNationcom) May 30, 2025
The only somewhat surprising part of that pecking order is that Flacco is first and Pickett is second, as many reports over the past month or so have suggested that Pickett will be the one to win the job out of camp.
In OTAs, Flacco has reportedly shown off his patented rocket arm, which still has some juice left in it even at 40 years old.
Cleveland’s first eight games on the schedule in 2025 are rough ahead of the Week 9 bye, and Grossi addressed that as well, noting that if the team gets to 1-7, that’s when it would be most likely for Gabriel to step in.
The short-term and long-term solutions at QB are as unclear as ever, but at least there is a plan in place, and it’s possible one of these guys could emerge as the answer.
If not, the Browns have a pair of first-round picks in 2026 to find the guy.
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Browns Rookie Is Making His Presence Felt At OTAs
