The Cleveland Browns have one of the most crowded quarterback rooms in the NFL, with five total signal-callers currently on the roster. While Deshaun Watson continues to recover from an Achilles injury, five other quarterbacks battled for the starting job during training camp and in the preseason.
The group includes three veterans and two rookies, and with so many players competing for reps, the starting role was a big topic of discussion. Ultimately, Joe Flacco was named Cleveland’s starting quarterback for Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Here’s a look at the Browns’ quarterback depth chart ahead of the 2025 season.
Who Are the Cleveland Browns’ Quarterbacks?
The Browns’ quarterback room resembled a circus, with no clear frontrunner emerging during training camp. As the battle for the starting job continued, the team opted for the safer option and went with the Super Bowl champion as the QB1. Here’s a closer look at the five quarterbacks, not including Deshaun Watson, currently on the Browns’ depth chart.
Joe Flacco
Flacco was listed as the starter on the Browns’ first preseason depth chart. Entering his 18th season, the veteran spent the bulk of his career with the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens, from 2008 to 2018.
Since leaving Baltimore, where he won the franchise’s second Super Bowl in 2012, he has bounced around the league, most recently starting six games for the Indianapolis Colts in 2024.
Flacco threw for 1,761 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in those starts. He earned a 71.3 grade in our QB+ metric, which ranked him as the No. 23 quarterback in the league.
Joe Flacco is a touchdown MACHINE pic.twitter.com/ufEnk8LxvN
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 13, 2024
Although he’s well past his prime, Flacco remains a serviceable starter. As things currently stand, he will start in Week 1 but the chances of him finishing the season as the Browns’ starting quarterback are low.
Kenny Pickett
Kenny Pickett entered the Browns’ preseason depth chart as the No. 2 quarterback. His NFL career has had a rocky start. Drafted in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pickett was traded after just two seasons.
The Browns acquired him this offseason to compete for the starting job. Over his three NFL seasons, Pickett has thrown for a total of 4,765 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
While he hasn’t yet lived up to expectations, Pickett is still young at just 27 years old, and it’s not out of the question that he could turn his career around in Cleveland.
Dillon Gabriel
Gabriel was listed as the third-string quarterback on the Browns’ first depth chart and was the team’s third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Though undersized at 5’11”, Gabriel is talented and showed strong production during college.
He started at UCF before transferring to Oklahoma ahead of the 2022 season. In 2024, Gabriel moved again, landing with the Oregon Ducks. Over six years of college football, he threw for 18,722 yards, 155 touchdowns, and 32 interceptions.
Gabriel struggled in training camp, but had a decent outing in preseason Week 2. Since the Browns invested a third-round pick in him, they appear determined to see what he can offer. He will get another opportunity to impress everyone in preseason Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams.
Shedeur Sanders
Sanders was the Browns’ fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and is expected to start the season as the No. 4 quarterback on their depth chart. The former Colorado Buffaloes star was widely expected to go early in the draft, but ended up sliding.
Despite falling in the draft, Sanders was highly productive in college, throwing for 7,364 yards, 64 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions across two seasons with Colorado.
The end zone cam of that TD for Colorado pic.twitter.com/3VzNxMCkBW
— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) September 30, 2023
Sanders impressed in his preseason debut against the Carolina Panthers, and similar to Gabriel, will have a chance to shine in preseason Week 3 against the Rams.
Given his strong performance in camp and in the preseason, it’s not out of the question that he could compete for the starting role if Flacco struggles.
Tyler Huntley
The Browns signed Tyler Huntley on August 4, adding yet another quarterback to their already crowded roster. Huntley has been a reliable backup throughout his NFL career, spending four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and, most recently, starting three games for the Miami Dolphins in 2024.
He has not been listed on the team’s depth chart yet, and barring injuries to other quarterbacks, he is prime candidate to get cut by the Browns before the start of the regular season.
