The scenario is nothing new for one of the most long-suffering fan bases in football, but the Cleveland Browns' quarterback situation is a mess this offseason.
Deshaun Watson is obviously out of the picture, and that leaves Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco as the current options on the roster. And while the Browns hold the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, this is a terrible year for QB prospects, and it's simply not viable to take one with that pick.
That has led to a clear assumption about the situation: Flacco will be the 2025 starter while a second or third-round rookie has some time to develop. Pickett is a bit of a wild card, but projects as a backup who has some upside if he can turn his career around.
But Kevin Stefanski turned that idea on its head the day before the draft.
Kevin Stefanski Sends Clear Message to Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett
Kevin Stefanski made a crystal clear statement on the Browns' starting QB situation for 2025, saying "whoever's in the room is competing for the job."
Kevin Stefanski on the Browns’ QB situation: “Whoever’s in the room is competing for the job.”
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) April 23, 2025
This can lead to some very interesting situations. A strong training camp and preseason could lead to the Browns starting a rookie in 2025, no matter how late they're drafted. Flacco could win the job that he should be a clear favorite for. Or the wild card is that Pickett could take the QB1 spot and shake everything up.
Not many teams carry three quarterbacks on the active roster, which would mean putting one of the three on the practice squad. The problem with that, however, is that Flacco, Pickett or an early-round rookie would all likely be gone from Cleveland if they tried — another team would be willing to sign them to their active roster.
So the Browns' starting job being up in the air means that we could have a situation where Pickett wins the starting job and they have to either part ways with Flacco, who would be the ideal mentor for a rookie, or carry three QBs on the active roster. Neither are great scenarios.
Of course, this is the Browns we're talking about. So maybe the assumption that they draft a quarterback at all isn't such a safe one.
If anything, the quarterback situation promises to continue bringing chaos and drama until at least this time next year.