The Cleveland Browns QB battle will be the No. 1 topic this summer during training camp. There is no guaranteed starter, and it'll be a four-man race.
The battle will be between Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders. While Flacco has the support of the fanbase, he may be on the chopping block heading into training camp.
Joe Flacco Far from Safe at Browns Training Camp
Flacco returned to Cleveland on a one-year deal that is worth $13 million with incentives. He only has $3 million guaranteed on the deal, so if the Browns wanted to move on, it wouldn't cost much.
Sanders is someone who made some waves in OTA and minicamp for the right reasons. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Sanders "made an impression." He also "put the ball in some tight windows" and "threw with aggressiveness."
In addition to ESPN Cleveland's tracker, Sanders led all four quarterbacks in team drill completion percentage (77.4) and touchdown passes (nine) during the five practices open to the media.
Gabriel also had some positive moments in minicamp practice. Zac Jackson of The Athletic wrote, "he was more accurate with his throws as the session went on. Gabriel’s highlight throw came on awell-placed corner route to Jamari Thrash in a red zone 7-on-7 drill."
Throughout these offseason workouts, both Sanders and Gabriel have made steady progress. The assumption that Flacco is the clear starter is just a guess at this point. He's certainly a mentor for these guys and is a voice they can lean on.
The Dawg Pound has a special place in their hearts for Flacco after he led them on an improbable playoff run two years ago. Over five starts, he went 4-1. In those outings, he was 123-of-204 (60.3%) for 1,616 passing yards, 13 passing touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
He stepped in as a 38-year-old and gave this team the juice they needed in 2023. Now, he's 40 years old, and if either rookie shows even more promise, there's a world where they decide to part ways with Flacco.
The next few weeks will be huge for the Browns as they get an understanding of who will be the starter under center.