The Cleveland Browns were one of the key teams to monitor this offseason. They acquired Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett in the summer before adding Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft. The latter, who was seen as a first-round prospect going into Green Bay, was now in an intense QB competition.
So far, there’s been no definitive answer from Cleveland’s end about their plans for the starting quarterback job. However, Sanders feels like a very long shot as a fifth-round pick to be starting on opening day. But one team insider believes history could be on the horizon if he does indeed win the job.
Shedeur Sanders Making History Week 1?
After Deshaun Watson was ruled out for the entire 2025 season, the Browns pivoted by signing Flacco in free agency and trading for Pickett. However, their acquisition of quarterbacks wasn’t over.
During the 2025 NFL Draft, they drafted Dillon Gabriel with the 94th overall pick before stopping the most dramatic draft day slide in modern NFL history by picking Sanders at 144. As a result, the quarterback room for Cleveland became an interesting place to monitor.
Through rookie training camp, OTAs, and mandatory minicamp, all four quarterbacks have gotten a lot of reps on the field. But the Browns organization hasn’t given any confirmation about their plans going into the year.
But Mary Kay Cabot, a team insider, believes Sanders could be on the cusp of making history. Since the 1970 merger, the only other quarterback taken in the fifth round or later was Randy Hedberg of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, back in 1977.
He had a 0-4 record and lost his first game to the Philadelphia Eagles 13-3. However, Cabot was quick to remind everyone that, unlike Hedberg, Sanders was seen as a potential first-round quarterback before his freefall in the draft.
Week 1 might be a long shot, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. He expanded the field to third-round picks or later, where Dak Prescott was the only recent example that came to mind. But even in Prescott’s case, it was an injury to Tony Romo that elevated him to the starting QB role.
Instead, a more realistic outlook for Sanders is to get the starting job at some point during the year and try to run away with it, like Brock Purdy in 2022. That year’s Mr. Irrelevant, Purdy, was thrust into a starting role after Jimmy Garoppolo was injured.
Here are the QB totals from the 5 Browns open media practices (OTAs and minicamp) this spring.
Who do you think should be the Browns QB1? pic.twitter.com/daBfqHvn58
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) June 12, 2025
He’s kept the starting job with the San Francisco 49ers since and signed a five-year contract worth $265 million this offseason.
“Sanders came on strong in the final week of organized team activities and mandatory minicamp to keep himself in the conversation for the starting job,” Cabot added, making the possibility of Sanders starting for Cleveland a reality.