MAY 23: During an appearance on ESPN Cleveland radio, head coach Kevin Stefanski said there will not be an even distribution of quarterback reps this offseason. That comes as little surprise, but the door is obviously still open to all four passers earning the starting gig depending on how training camp shakes out.
MAY 19: Since the Browns used a selection during the second and third days of the draft on a quarterback, questions have lingered about how they will sort out the position in 2025. Plenty of time remains for things to change on that front, but a few early indications have emerged. 
Rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders are joined by trade acquisition Kenny Pickett and veteran Joe Flacco, re-acquired in free agency this spring. That quartet could shrink in size during roster cutdowns, but for the time being it can be expected to remain intact. Even in the wake of the Saints losing Derek Carr to retirement, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com writes no QB trade is being planned at this point.
If such a move were to be made, Cabot recently named Flacco as the passer likeliest to find himself on the move. For now, though, he is in position to compete for a spot on the depth chart upon returning to Cleveland. The 40-year-old helped guide the Browns to the postseason upon joining them midway through the 2023 campaign, and he represented a logical target to return this year. With Deshaun Watson unlikely to play in 2025 while rehabbing his second Achilles tear, Flacco could at least open the year as the starter with the rookies developing.
As Cabot adds, however, it is Pickett who appears to be the frontrunner heading into upcoming OTAs and June’s mandatory minicamp. The former Steelers first-rounder saw his Pittsburgh tenure end in short order after a disappointing spell atop the depth chart. His trade to the Eagles resulted in a one-year backup stint behind Jalen Hurts and a single start in Week 18. To no surprise, Cleveland declined Pickett’s fifth-year option for 2026, meaning he enters the year as a pending free agent.
In a separate piece, Cabot writes there will be a split of two QB pairings to divvy up reps during offseason work, which is a reasonable approach given the uncertainty surrounding the position. Pickett is slated to operate as the No. 1 (at least, to begin the process) and Cabot predicts he will be partnered with Gabriel. That would leave Flacco and Sanders alternating third-string reps, albeit with the potential to move up the pecking order depending on their performances.
Gabriel and Sanders will remain under team control through 2028 on the rookie deals, so the Browns can be expected to retain them well past this summer’s training camp. With Flacco and Pickett’s respective futures much less clear, though, it will be interesting to see how they fare during practice. The latter could help his market value to a great extent with a sustained QB1 run in Cleveland, and his audition period for the gig will begin soon.
The guy that Philly didn’t think could win the backup spot is now a starter? Cmon
Agree. They are trying to inflate his value in hopes of getting better trade when a QB gets hurt.
Couldn’t have said it better myself .👍🏻💯
He wasn’t intended to start in Philadelphia. In Stefanski’s system Pickett should thrive….
Pickett won’t ever thrive in any system. It’s like Mac Jones. Some of these guys, you can look at and tell they’re backups.
Apparently the Steelers couldn’t tell he was a backup. They reached for him in the 1st round and played him 2 years
When he played he played well, they just liked the #3 more as #2 going forward and thought they could flip Pickett and his contract and bring back a draft pick. Made perfect sense for Philly.
Philadelphia has Jalen Hurts, Pickett wasn’t expected to start. In Cleveland he is expected to start. Stefanski has liked him since the 2022 draft. He’s a very good fit for what Stefanski likes to run on offense.
Browns back to being the Browns after a 2 year hiatus
They can’t be serious. Pickett is the least talented QB they have on the roster, and has proven to be a woefully incapable leader. This is who they’re pencilling in as QB1?
Maybe they should just contract the Browns, expand again, and give Cleveland another chance with a new franchise that might have an inkling of a clue as to what it is doing.
Article never stated that Rodgers is out of the running…🤔
Or a trade for Cousins.
Do both and carry six QB’s into the regular season.
The “quantity over quality” approach
Browns are not trading for Cousins…..
It’s a joke Traci…just like Rodgers is still in the running.
Kenny’s not good, but…from what I’ve seen, not sure what if anything Sanders does better.
Kenny’s got a weaker arm for the NFL, still stronger than Sanders. Kenny’s not a good athlete, still seems more athletic than Sanders. Etc.
Take those biased goggles off. Pickett does everything much worse. Also, if you want to bring up the imaginary off the field flags, this is a guy who asked to be traded just because they brought in a veteran last year to compete with him because he had sucked his first two years in the league when they had handed him the job. Sounds like a cancer you shouldn’t want in your locker room, but I’m sure you same people who were hypercritical of Sanders have no problem with it.
Who is “you same people”?
And FTR, I’ve said Kenny is a whiny B**** POS (who had one good game agsint the Raiders and then let some car commercials go to his head).
But I was talking about their on field skills, which you did not address.
It’s Mary Kay. She’s not very good at predicting things.
Predicting the outcome of a badly orchestrated game of “rock-paper-scissors” is an advanced art.
Flacco made his money in the NFL. Not sure why he’d want to stick this mess of a QB room. Sit on the couch in his boxer shorts and a glass of scotch, and wait for his agent to call mid-season.
Come on. They draft two QBs in five rounds of the draft and intend to sit both? What’s the possible point of even attempting to mislead the fans?
That’ll change whenever they start playing meaningful games. Pickett even looked terrible with that Eagle team last year when he had to play. Gardner Minshew at least looked above average when he started that game late in 2022.
My favorite time of the year. The time where teams swear they’re playing the worthless vet instead of the rookie even tho we all know that leash is so short the vet feels their breathe on his neck
Pickett is Mitch Trubisky part 2……this guy doesn’t need to start for any team
I have to say I’m pretty impressed at how the Browns have created a perfect storm for a Bernie Kosar comeback 🙂