The Cleveland Browns have loaded up on quarterbacks this offseason, acquiring two veterans before adding two rookies in the 2025 NFL Draft. While it’s good to have options, especially at the sport’s most important position, Cleveland’s approach has resulted in a cloudy depth chart.
Speaking to 850 ESPN Cleveland, NFL insider Jeremy Fowler stated his belief that the team will move on from one of their quarterbacks, with all four players in the firing line.
NFL Insider Believes Browns Could Trade a Rookie QB
Joining the show via phone, Fowler stated that the Browns look at quarterbacks like currency, suggesting that they signed four players with the intention of trading one later.
While it is widely expected that the team will look to offload one of their veterans, Fowler made the surprising suggestion that it could be one of Cleveland’s rookies that moves on.
“I still think they look at quarterback pieces like currency,” he began. “So if somebody goes down, if there’s an injury in training camp, they have somebody they could potentially trade. Maybe it’s (Kenny) Pickett; maybe it’s one of the rookies, but I can see that sort of maneuvering. I have a hard time thinking they keep four on the roster; I think it might be three.”
Fowler’s words would suggest that Flacco is expected to be the Browns’ starter, which is a popular belief. The idea that one of the rookies could be traded, though, is an intriguing thought.
Cleveland drafted Oregon product Dillon Gabriel in Round 3 of April’s draft, before finally taking Shedeur Sanders in Round 5.
.@JFowlerESPN thinks that the Browns could trade one of their 4 QBs during training camp.
“I have a hard time thinking they keep four on the roster” pic.twitter.com/klBBb3H3Ki
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) May 28, 2025
Would Cleveland Really Trade 1 of Its Rookies?
The Browns were always likely to draft a quarterback in April, with many expecting them to do so in the first round. As Sanders continued his infamous fall down the draft, though, it was Gabriel that the team took in Round 3.
Gabriel was potentially underrated coming out of college, due to his size limitations. However, he has invaluable experience and led Oregon to the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff last season.
The addition of Sanders was a surprising one, given Cleveland’s move for Gabriel, and has possibly made for an awkward atmosphere in camp. Sanders was expected to be drafted long before Gabriel, and will be expected by many to usurp his rookie teammate quickly.
With both Flacco and Pickett scheduled for free agency in 2026, the starting job will likely fall to one of the rookies in a year.
The reaction of head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry to the selection of Sanders suggested that the pick may not have been their decision. A general manager who managed to land one of the draft’s top QB prospects in the fifth round could be expected to look happy about it.
Andrew Berry looks PUMPED about drafting Shedeur Sanders, obv the owner called in this pick
pic.twitter.com/23S4ec0r5j— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) April 26, 2025
There were concerns that Sanders would create an unwelcome distraction as a backup, due to the player’s fame and the noise that surrounded his pre-draft process. His fall to Round 5 likely had much to do with that, with a fifth-round pick a far more disposable asset if things get ugly.
If Sanders proves a far better player than Gabriel early on, though, the former Oregon QB could find himself on another team before too long.
