The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback room is packed with talent, drama, and unanswered questions heading into training camp. Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel are all fighting for snaps.
But when one NFL veteran weighed in on the competition, he left out a name that might surprise you.
Why Did Ryan Fitzpatrick Skip Shedeur Sanders in His Browns QB Analysis?
Former quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick made waves when he shared his thoughts on “Good Morning Football” about Cleveland’s starting quarterback battle. The shocking part? He never mentioned Shedeur Sanders.
“If I was a betting man, Joe Flacco is gonna go into the year as the starter,” Fitzpatrick said. “He has history there, he has success there, and I think it’s a great story. He’s a guy that’ll bring calm, he’s the guy that’s going to be able to get them off on the right foot.”
We got @FitzMagic_14 to weigh in his thoughts on the Browns QB room 👀👇 pic.twitter.com/4cVkSat8RD
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) July 10, 2025
Fitzpatrick’s reasoning makes sense. When Flacco stepped in late during the 2023 season, he transformed Cleveland’s offense. The Browns went 4-1 down the stretch and made the playoffs. He brought the kind of veteran poise that an offense struggling to find its rhythm desperately needed.
Now, Flacco is back on a one-year deal, and many expect him to start the 2025-26 season. The AFC North is brutal, and having a steady hand under center could be exactly what Cleveland needs.
But Fitzpatrick said something that really grabbed attention. “As the season goes along, when you draft guys early, and when you have young exciting guys, they’re excited for Gabriel, we could see him inserted into the lineup.”
Gabriel. Not Sanders.
What Does This Snub Mean for Sanders’ Future?
The omission was glaring for a rookie with Sanders’ profile. He dominated at Colorado under his father Deion Sanders’ coaching and came into the NFL with massive expectations. Yet Fitzpatrick chose to highlight Dillon Gabriel as the rookie to watch instead.
Whether intentional or not, this creates an interesting narrative. Maybe the Browns are quietly more excited about Gabriel than Sanders, despite all the buzz around Sanders’ name recognition.
That doesn’t mean Sanders is out of the running. The quarterback competition remains wide open, and training camp will tell the real story. Still, being left out of the conversation stings in a league where perception matters as much as performance.
Fitzpatrick sees Flacco as the safe choice to start the season, with Gabriel as the young quarterback ready to step up when the time comes. For Sanders, the path to becoming the starter might take a bit longer, but his story in Cleveland is just getting started.
