The Cleveland Browns have been tracking how their four quarterbacks perform in minicamp. With OTAs and mandatory minicamp keeping everyone busy until the preseason, the Browns will have a quarterback decision to make come week one, which they aren’t taking lightly. After drafting Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders was also selected two rounds later. The competition is fierce with Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco already on the roster.
Browns Beat Reporter Believes Shedeur Sanders is Still QB4
No matter what the depth chart looked like after the draft, Mary Kay Cabot offered her opinion on how this Browns offense will operate. It’s been discussed that Sanders is having a great camp so far and is playing quite well, but he’s also been kept to himself while other QBs get the majority of first-team reps. If that isn’t a sign, then who knows what is?
Shedeur Sanders just put together arguably the MOST IMPRESSIVE body of offseason work (OTA’s + Minicamp) of any rookie QB.
Sanders officially finished all practices with a stat line of 41/53 (77%), ~400+ yards, 9 passing TD’s, and 1 INT (tipped pass).
Not only did Sanders lead… pic.twitter.com/J3gMP1gDVx
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) June 12, 2025
“They are using mostly Dillon and Kenny (Pickett) to try to figure out what works in this offense and what doesn’t” Cabot said. “It’s a new scheme. They have to throw some things out.”
She continued, “They have to put some things in and they’re not putting all of that on Shedeur’s plate as the fourth-team quarterback. They’re trying to get Kenny and Dillon possibly ready to play, maybe to be the starter and the backup, possibly.”
Oddly, the team isn’t throwing that on Sanders’ plate, as he was projected to be drafted much earlier than Gabriel. While both had proficient college careers, Gabriel knocked it out of the park during his time as an Oregon Duck. He put up numbers similar to what he did a year prior in Oklahoma, but the Big Ten is a gauntlet.
Last year, the 24-year-old led Oregon to the College Football Playoff. After a dominant four-touchdown performance in the Big Ten Championship game, Gabriel capped off his season with ten touchdowns to just one interception, a 12 ratio if the Rose Bowl is included. The 5’11” 205-pound QB had just one game where he threw more than one interception, which the team still won, 31-10.
Sanders has no choice but to go out there and prove he belongs in this franchise. He wasn’t their first choice, but his attitude and mindset have had to change significantly compared to what he went into the draft with. Sitting at QB4 on the Browns depth chart, Sanders has nowhere else to go but up. His performance this summer will dictate his place on the team as he eyes the starting job.
