It appears Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has a long way to go before taking meaningful snaps in Cleveland.
Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot, a beat reporter for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, appeared on “The Rich Eisen Show” on Thursday to discuss the team’s crowded quarterback situation.
Shedeur Sanders Takes No 11-on-11 Reps at Practice Wednesday
Suzy Shuster, guest hosting for Eisen, asked Cabot about the Browns’ quarterback depth chart. Cabot said she believes one of the two veterans—Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett—will begin the season as the starter. She cited the Browns’ challenging early schedule, including two AFC North matchups and several road games, as key factors.
“I think it’s probably going to ultimately come down to those two veteran guys,” Cabot said. “Because you don’t want to lose your veteran Pro Bowl players early on in the season.”
Beyond the competition for the starting job, Cabot noted that Sanders is currently behind fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, who was drafted two rounds earlier in April, for the third-string spot.
“The way it played out [Wednesday] is the way that I thought it would,” Cabot said. “Shedeur right now is the fourth-team quarterback. He did not take any team reps… Not just that he wasn’t the second guy or the first guy—he didn’t take any 11-on-11s yesterday. He did a really nice job in his 7-on-7s—a great job—but they are making him come up the learning curve and earn his way.”
Flacco went 4-1 as a starter with the Browns in 2023, helping the team reach the playoffs. He threw for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns against eight interceptions. The 40-year-old former Super Bowl MVP played for the Colts last season, starting six games and going 2-4.
Pickett, the Steelers’ former first-round pick, started 24 games for Pittsburgh across the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He backed up Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia last year, making one start in Week 17. In that game, Pickett went 10-for-15 for 143 yards and a touchdown in a 41-7 win over the Cowboys.
Gabriel threw for 3,857 yards and 30 touchdowns last season at Oregon, leading the Ducks to a Big Ten title and a College Football Playoff quarterfinal appearance. He was selected 94th overall by Cleveland in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Browns picked Sanders at No. 144 overall. The son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, he threw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns in his final collegiate season at Colorado under his father’s coaching. Once projected as a first-rounder during the pre-draft process, Sanders fell to the fifth round.