Training camp is winding down, and with the third week of preseason games incoming, all eyes are on the NFL’s cutdown day, set for August 26, 2025. By 4 p.m. that Tuesday, every team needs to whittle their rosters down to 53 players, making the final week a pressure-cooker for guys on the bubble.
How Will Shedeur Sanders’s Roster Battle Shape the Browns QB Room?
The talk around the Cleveland Browns camp centers on their quarterback depth chart, and for good reason. They have a wild mix of seasoned vets and new faces, plus the off-field attention that always follows Shedeur Sanders. Fans are buzzing, wondering if Sanders will get his shot during the 2025 campaign or if he’s at risk of being cut.
Back in the 2025 draft, the Browns were rumored to be eyeing Sanders, the young Colorado quarterback and son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. When the dust settled, Cleveland picked Sanders in the fifth round, but only after snagging Dillon Gabriel in the third. Both rookies now line up behind veterans Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco on the Browns’ depth chart.
So far, head coach Kevin Stefanski has named Flacco the starter for the upcoming season, with Pickett locked in as QB2. That decision leaves Gabriel and Sanders battling for the QB3 spot. It’s a tough situation: Will the Browns carry four quarterbacks, or will either Gabriel or Sanders find themselves cut before the start of the season?
On one hand, the draft order favors Gabriel, but on the other, Sanders brings a rabid fan base, with many former players and analysts rallying behind him.
On “The Ken Carmen Show with Anthony Lima,” Cleveland sports radio personality Ken Carmen made his stance clear regarding Sanders’s future with the Browns.
“There ain’t no way, where people – coaches – football guys, are lining up to say good things about this fella and they’re just gonna let him rot fourth on the depth chart on this football team. He ain’t getting cut, and he’s gonna play this year. You cannot tell me going into next year, that we’re gonna go get ready for another season, another possible quarterback, without giving this guy, with this ceiling, a chance,” said an emphatic Carmen.
🏈”(Shedeur) ain’t getting cut, and he’s gonna play… You can’t tell me we’re going into next year without giving this guy with this ceiling a chance.”
🚨@KenCarman tells @SportsBoyTony why Shedeur Sanders currently being QB4 does not matter.
🔊: https://t.co/orGawfg6pl pic.twitter.com/68z0sJAGhR
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) August 21, 2025
He added that his view isn’t a knock against Gabriel; he simply believes Sanders offers more upside. Carmen went on to say the situation isn’t just about football; it’s also entertainment and business, noting Sanders leads all rookies in jersey sales.
According to Carmen, if Joe Flacco stays healthy and the Browns perform well, Sanders won’t see action. But if the season derails, fans shouldn’t be surprised to see Sanders take the field.
With Flacco now 40, questions linger about his ability to play a full season, something he hasn’t accomplished since 2017. There’s one thing everyone agrees on: Browns fans are ready, and the first sign of trouble could have Sanders’ name echoing through Cleveland Stadium.
