The 2025 season hasn’t even started yet, and the Cleveland Browns already have tons of question marks. In typical Browns fashion, the biggest uncertainty comes in the quarterback room.
The team brought in four quarterbacks just this offseason: veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, along with rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Inevitably, one of those quarterbacks will have to be cut, and many people have their own opinions on who should go. That includes former NFL running back Rashad Jennings, who explained how Cleveland will have a tough decision to make.
Who Will Be Kept in the Browns’ QB Room Ahead of the 2025 Season
The quarterback drama in Cleveland has been a recurring storyline in recent seasons. Baker Mayfield was supposed to be the franchise’s quarterback of the future, but after failing to meet expectations, the team went all-in on Deshaun Watson. In hindsight, that move and the immediate contract extension that went with it may go down as one of the worst deals in NFL history.
That brings us to the 2025 offseason, where the front office decided to widen its options. With Watson suffering yet another Achilles injury and expected to miss the entire season, Flacco and Pickett were brought in as short-term additions to at least form a quarterback group with some experience, even if they’re not seen as long-term solutions.
Then, in a surprise move during the draft, the Browns selected Gabriel in the third round and Sanders in the fifth, adding two more quarterbacks to the mix. That brought the total to four, but most teams only carry three quarterbacks into the regular season, with one typically serving as the emergency backup on game days.
Jennings appeared on Friday’s edition of Good Morning Football on the NFL Network and broke the situation down. The seven-year veteran pointed out that this will soon become a tough decision for the franchise, and keeping all four simply won’t be possible.
“They ain’t carrying four quarterbacks on their team,” Jennings said. “One of them at least has to get cut and try to put them back on a practice squad, which if you put them on a practice squad, guess what, they’re gonna get picked up somewhere else.”
The situation would be simpler had the team not drafted two quarterbacks in the same class. That makes the decision to cut one of the rookies more complicated, while releasing a veteran who could contribute in practice and step in during an injury is also a risky move.
“So it’s a matter of fact of which quarterback does Cleveland Browns want to let go,” Jennings continued. “Is it Joe Flacco? Is it Kenny Pickett? Is it your third-round draft pick in Gabriel, who was up for Heisman at some point in the run, or is it Shedeur Sanders? One of them has to go.”
If everyone is healthy, keeping all four by Week 1 is unlikely. That said, the Browns may find a trade partner before the regular season starts. Cleveland won’t get a huge return in a trade, but getting any draft pick, or possibly a depth player at another position, offers more value than simply cutting one of the quartet.
Whatever the decision, it will have to be carefully calculated. Pickett was acquired via trade, so cutting him would mean wasting a draft asset without ever using the player. Flacco might offer the best early chance at winning, while the others are fresh picks from the 2025 draft.
Still, Cleveland put itself in this situation, and now it has to find the best way out.