The Cleveland Browns quarterback battle should be front and center over the next couple of months. At this rate, none of them seems like an easy choice to win the job. The Browns have Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders all battling it out for the job.
Flacco, the veteran, has been a common pick to emerge as the starter in Week 1, although the younger options could be more appealing to head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Well, ESPN insider Mike Clay dropped his roster projections for the 2025 season, and he had a surprising twist: Flacco is not on the roster, and Pickett is the starter. Here is how the Browns QB depth chart stood per Clay's projections:
- Kenny Pickett
- Dillon Gabriel
- Shedeur Sanders
So, Clay has Pickett emerging as the QB1, which makes some sense considering the Browns traded Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a pick to acquire Pickett from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Flacco isn't on the roster at all in a bit of a surprise, although he could find a way onto another roster as a capable backup.
Pickett, the No. 20 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, started for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022 and 2023 but had a total of 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. In 2024, he played in five games with the Eagles, throwing two touchdowns and an interception, although he has not lived up to the hype since coming out of college.
It remains to be seen who has the upper hand, but all four quarterbacks should have a path to the job.
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