The Cleveland Browns’ mandatory minicamp is right around the corner, and the top story continues to be the quarterback battle between rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
One Too Many Quarterbacks in Cleveland
Put plainly, the Browns can’t carry all five quarterbacks into the 2025 season. When Deshaun Watson goes on IR, they can protect three, but four is highly unlikely. One of those QBs is expected to land on the practice squad, if not released, which could result in losing them to another franchise.
Cleveland spent three draft picks this year on three different quarterbacks. They traded a fifth-round pick and QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson to the Philadelphia Eagles for Kenny Pickett, before spending their third-round pick on Gabriel, and two rounds later, a fifth-round pick on Sanders.
On top of that, the franchise signed QB Joe Flacco to a veteran contract worth $3 million for the season, and one of those four quarterbacks is going to win the starting job for the upcoming campaign.
As a result of that, the Browns have the most interesting offseason storyline of any team in the NFL. Fans are going to be watching their mandatory minicamp and the subsequent preseason action religiously, watching the QB battle unfold in real time.
Shedeur Sanders TD to Kaden Davis at Browns OTAs. pic.twitter.com/6Rgnfbb38y
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) June 4, 2025
The fascination doesn’t stop with the starting quarterback role either. It’ll be equally fascinating to see who finishes last in the four-man race, and what then happens to that signal-caller.
If Gabriel is the fourth QB on the depth chart by the time we reach final roster cuts, the Browns will likely allocate him to the practice squad. He is then at risk of being poached by another franchise, resulting in a wasted third-round draft pick.
Having said that, if Sanders falls to the bottom of the pile, there will be pandemonium in the media. The moment there’s an injury to another franchise quarterback, his name is going to be everywhere, despite struggling to earn playing time in Cleveland.
Of course, the opposite could be true. Sanders could win the starting job, which would sell the most tickets and generate the most hype within the fan base.
17-year veteran Flacco has been honest about his stance, claiming he is not a mentor despite his experience. He is there to win the job and to play football, and if he can teach the younger guys a few tricks along the way, he’ll gladly do so.
Browns Back in the Market in 2026
Every quarterback on the roster is on trial in 2025. If the Browns don’t see enough from the eventual starter, they will be back in the market for a franchise QB in the 2026 NFL draft.
When Cleveland traded their second overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who came up to select Travis Hunter, they got a haul in return that included the Jags’ first-round selection in 2026.
Having two first-round picks in any draft is a big deal. It means the franchise has more capital to work with than almost any other team in the league, making it far more achievable to trade up for a franchise quarterback.
The 2026 class is expected to be a very strong one, featuring the likes of Arch Manning, Garrett Nussmeier, LaNorris Sellers, and many more.
So whoever wins the job in 2025, then has to do the work to keep it in the years to come.