The Cleveland Browns have spent the offseason making headlines for their quarterback depth, a rarity in today’s NFL.
With Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders all in the room, Cleveland has both experience and intrigue.
Yet the spotlight keeps circling back to Sanders and after a rough finish to the preseason, the rookie’s place on the roster is anything but secure.
The Browns closed exhibition play with a narrow 19-17 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, but the performance did little to help Sanders‘ case.
The former Colorado standout completed just three passes for 14 yards while being sacked five times, a night that exposed both his inexperience and Cleveland‘s shaky pass protection.
What may have been more telling than the stat line was the trust from the coaching staff. When the Browns faced a two-minute drill late in the game, head coach Kevin Stefanski turned to veteran Tyler Huntley, not Sanders or Gabriel, to close it out.
Huntley has since been released, but the decision underscored how little Cleveland was willing to put in Sanders’ hands when it mattered.
Fans skeptical, front office reassures
That choice has fueled speculation outside the building that Sanders‘ time in Cleveland could already be running short.
Critics have argued that the Browns don’t appear committed to developing him, while some fans have urged the rookie to look for a fresh start elsewhere.
But inside the front office, the tone has been far calmer. General manager Andrew Berry dismissed the notion that Sanders is on the bubble.
“It’s not much of a decision for us. All four guys have done what we’ve asked,” Berry said. “Quarterback is the most important position in sports. We have a room where we like all the guys in there. We don’t see it as a problem, we see it as more of an opportunity.”
The hint in Berry‘s words is that Cleveland may keep all four quarterbacks, an unusual but not unprecedented move, particularly with the NFL’s new rules that allow an emergency third quarterback on game days.
Still, even if Sanders avoids the cutdown axe, the reality of the depth chart is clear. Flacco, who went 4-1 last season and won Comeback Player of the Year, is firmly entrenched at the top. Pickett, though sidelined with an injury for much of the preseason, brings two years of starting experience from Pittsburgh.
Gabriel, the rookie out of Oklahoma, has earned steady praise for his decision-making and poise.
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