The Cleveland Browns have made some big headlines this offseason. During the 2025 NFL Draft, they landed two quarterbacks in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, taking Gabriel in the third round (94th overall) and Sanders in the fifth round (144th overall).
Sanders’ shocking slide in the draft got the entire football world talking, both college and pro. Despite his talent and the hype surrounding him ahead of the draft, many scouts were worried about his maturity and how his skills would translate at the NFL level.
A Browns insider recently went on record doubting Sanders’ ability to lead the team’s quarterback room and predicted where Cleveland will need to look instead for its franchise star.
Browns Insider Tony Grossi Discusses Shedeur Sanders And Who Will Be The Cleveland Franchise Star
On a recent episode of “The Sick Podcast with Andy McNamara,” Browns insider Tony Grossi discussed Sanders and shared his thoughts on who he believes will be Cleveland’s new franchise quarterback in the wake of Deshaun Watson’s constant injuries.
“The next franchise QB for the #Browns is _____”@ESPNCleveland analyst @TonyGrossi joins @AndyMc81
Watch the full show 👇https://t.co/Md4GlcitRe #dawgpound https://t.co/xWIDqfDTZE pic.twitter.com/aGQbwsGqo2
— The Sick Podcast with Andy McNamara (@sickpodbrowns) June 20, 2025
“The franchise quarterback is in next year’s draft,” Grossi predicted. “When (Joe) Flacco will not be here, when (Kenny) Pickett will not be here, and it’ll be Gabriel and Sanders and a number one pick. We may go through a competition again, but it’ll be slanted to the number one.”
Grossi may be on to something, as next year’s quarterback class looks very deep. Along with Archie Manning, it could feature Garrett Nussmeier, Cade Klubnik, LaNorris Sellers, Drew Allar, Nico Iamaleava, Carson Beck, John Mateer, and more.
“Gabriel and Sanders are future backups for the time being,” Grossi said. “That’s the way I see it, and that’s okay. They’ll have three quarterbacks on their rookie contracts. Keep in mind, Deshaun Watson’s cap charge goes through the roof the next two years. So, they had to plan for that.”
This should be an interesting season for the Browns. They have a jam-packed quarterback room with a former Super Bowl champion in Flacco, two rookies in Gabriel and Sanders, and an AFC North veteran in Pickett. Anyone could emerge from that intriguing group, and several players will likely get snaps under center this season.
However, despite all of that, many believe next year’s draft could hold the answer to Cleveland’s future. If their myriad options don’t pan out and they struggle again this fall, they could earn a top draft pick and be in a prime spot to finally find their future franchise quarterback in 2026.
