The Kenny Pickett reason why Shedeur Sanders' roster spot with Browns is in jeopardy

Matthew Wadleigh

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The Kenny Pickett reason why Shedeur Sanders' roster spot with Browns is in jeopardy image

Who will be the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback in Week 1? That question will be asked a lot over the next few months. 

The Browns QB room currently consists of Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, with Deshaun Watson injured once again. 

At this point, there is no indication of which way the Browns go, although a popular belief is that Flacco will win the job and begin the year as QB1. 

When the 53-man roster is finalized, the Browns will likely cut one or even two of the quarterbacks, which creates some problems. Gabriel was just selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, so the Browns cutting him seems unlikely. 

Sanders was chosen in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and Pickett was just acquired via trade this offseason. 

Well, Yahoo Sports analysts Nate Tice, Matt Harmon and Charles McDonald talked about it. During the show, McDonald revealed that the Pickett trade could be a problem for Sanders. 

While McDonald put Flacco at 1 and 2, respectively, he also mentioned why the Pickett trade would be tough for the Browns to part with him already. 

"Then you get to Shedeur and Kenny Pickett. I guess these are your two fifth-rounders, right? I don't know if they cut Kenny after they just tried to acquire him and they gave up another player that they valued clearly in DTR."

In March, the Browns traded Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for Pickett. 

DTR played in 15 games over the past two years with the Browns, although he didn't throw a touchdown across seven games in 2024. Still, the Browns traded DTR and a pick for Pickett, so moving on from the former Pittsburgh Panthers star after a couple of months despite dealing assets would be a bit of a surprise. 

On the other hand, cutting Sanders, who was just drafted, would also be a head-scratcher, but it's the Browns. 

Maybe the Browns find a trade partner for Pickett, Sanders, or even Gabriel. Perhaps the Browns carry four quarterbacks on the roster or hope that one clears waivers and signs on the practice squad. 

All in all, it's a complicated situation in Cleveland once again at the QB position, although that isn't anything new. 

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Matthew Wadleigh

Matthew Wadleigh is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He was born and raised in Southern California and grew up a San Diego sports fan (yes, it’s tough, except for Aztecs hoops). Matthew went to Fresno State as a journalism major and got to see Davante Adams, Derek Carr, Paul George and Aaron Judge in person. Matthew has written for publications including ClutchPoints, Sportscasting, Fansided, Trojans Wire, UCLA Wire and Buffaloes Wire.