Taking the rare step of drafting multiple quarterbacks in the same class, the Browns are in the latter stages of one of the more unusual competitions at the position in modern NFL history. As it stands, Joe Flacco is leading the way.

Even that is rather interesting, seeing as the former Super Bowl MVP is 40 and has not started a season opener as a non-injury fill-in (as he was with the 2022 Jets) since beginning the 2019 season as the Broncos’ starter. Flacco is on track to join Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Vinny Testaverde (Cowboys), Warren Moon (Seahawks), Johnny Unitas (Chargers) and Charlie Conerly (Giants) as QBs to open a season as a starting quarterback at 40 or older. Flacco’s age certainly points to his starter stint not lasting too long, shifting focus to the team’s two rookies.

Both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders‘ rookie contracts run through 2028. The Browns are likely to have both players on their depth chart, barring an IR stay for one of them, behind Flacco to open the season. Gabriel’s future as a backup has also become a talking point, because teams were certainly surprised the Browns traded up for Sanders two rounds after selecting Gabriel. To that point, SI.com’s Albert Breer confirms a report from The Athletic’s Michael Silver that stated the Browns received trade offers for Gabriel soon after trading up for Sanders.

Although post-pick trades can happen in the NFL — as the famous Eli Manning–Philip Rivers swap revealed 21 years ago — those sequences are traditionally confined to the NBA draft. The Browns have rebuffed QB trade inquiries at multiple stops this offseason, as reports in May and June indicated Cleveland was standing pat with its passer room. Those inquiries will likely resurface soon, with this month profiling as a trade window due to the roster crunch that comes each year as teams frantically go from 90 to 53 players.

The Gabriel interest came about from the six-year college QB impressing teams during pre-draft interviews, Breer adds; clubs saw the former Oregon, Central Florida and Oklahoma passer’s floor as that of a long-term backup. It would be interesting to learn what draft capital the Gabriel trade offers featured. Teams clearly saw more in Gabriel, with most draft observers viewing the undersized option as being overdrafted at No. 94. His pre-draft profile differs starkly from Sanders’. The latter entered the process with steady first-round buzz saw his stock crater thanks to a strange interview approach that alienated many teams.

Sanders and Gabriel have each missed time due to injury in training camp. Gabriel has returned to team drills after a hamstring issue sidelined him during Cleveland’s preseason opener, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter notes, but the Browns announced Sanders suffered an oblique injury Wednesday and missed the rest of a joint practice with the Eagles. It is an oblique strain for Sanders, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot notes. He is not expected to play in the Browns’ second preseason contest.

Sanders impressed when given a preseason start, thanks to the team resting Flacco and not having Gabriel or Kenny Pickett available, but his next chance to play will come in the Browns’ preseason finale next week. Pickett has not returned to 11-on-11 work, The Athletic’s Zac Jackson adds, noting Flacco remains in the driver’s seat to start in Week 1.

Pickett has thrown seven-on-seven reps since his injury, however. Gabriel’s return could point him to a start in Philly, per Jackson, who adds Sanders has generally outplayed his 5-foot-11 teammate during camp. The Browns, though, drafted Gabriel first. How these two coexist amid a situation that could remain awkward into the season will be interesting, as Flacco making it through 17 games as the starter will be unlikely.

The Browns added intrigue to their unsettled quarterback room during the draft by respectively selecting Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the third and fifth rounds. Those two will be joined in training camp by veteran Joe Flacco and trade acquisition Kenny Pickett.

The latter has appeared to be in the lead for the starting gig on more than one occasion so far. Pickett – a Steelers first-rounder in 2022 – did not develop as hoped in Pittsburgh and was dealt to the Eagles last year. After a single campaign as Jalen Hurts‘ backup, the 27-year-old was acquired by the Browns as an option capable of handling QB1 duties.

To no surprise, Cleveland declined Pickett’s fifth-year option this spring. As a result, he is a pending 2026 free agent. Pickett’s market value will depend greatly on how he performs with the Browns, and keeping the starter’s role throughout the season would be key in helping his stock. Both Gabriel and Sanders loom as potential replacements in the lineup, however, and Flacco is certainly a strong candidate to open the year atop the depth chart.

Indeed, NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe notes Flacco may now be considered the favorite entering training camp (video link). In 2023, a midseason Flacco signing proved to be highly beneficial for Cleveland. The former Super Bowl MVP took on starting duties and helped lead the Browns to the postseason. Flacco, 40, returned via free agency after a one-and-done season with the Colts. He is the only signal-caller with a history in head coach Kevin Stefanski‘s scheme, something which will no doubt play a role in determining the team’s starter early on.

Both Gabriel and Sanders are under team control for the next four years, meaning they should be expected to remain on the roster once summer cutdowns take place. Wolfe confirms a trade involving either rookie should not be expected. That could leave the Browns in position to carry all four quarterbacks on their active roster, something general manager Andrew Berry recently expressed a willingness for. A more realistic scenario, though, remains either Pickett or Flacco being traded ahead of Week 1 (provided the Browns’ other passers remain healthy, of course).

As a result, the performances between Cleveland’s veteran quarterbacks will be worth watching closely this summer. The question of which signal-caller sees the first start in 2025 (presumably the winner of the Flacco-Pickett contest) will be key in determining which makes the most total starts this season. It will be interesting to see how first-team reps continue to be split once padded practices begin as the Browns continue their evaluation process.

There is plenty of time before final roster cuts in August, but the Browns are already considering holding onto all four of their quarterbacks.

General manager Andrew Berry said (via Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports) that Cleveland could “absolutely” carry four quarterbacks into the regular season, provided, of course, that “they all play well enough.” According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, all four “answered the bell” this spring.

The Browns value Joe Flacco‘s familiarity with Kevin Stefanski‘s offensive scheme; those traits are also the reason that Flacco took limited reps during OTAs and minicamp, typically with the first team, per Epstein. That has allowed Stefanski and new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to sort through the team’s younger options: ex-Steelers first-rounder Kenny Pickett and rookie draft picks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.

Pickett and Gabriel also played with the first team in the spring, but Sanders did not, per Epstein. He has “come on strong over the last two weeks,” according to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, and could still be a part of the starting competition in training camp.

If the Browns go with three quarterbacks, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal believes that either Flacco or Pickett will be the odd man out. Flacco’s experience is his biggest plus, but Cleveland was more aggressive in its pursuit of Pickett this offseason. The Browns traded for him on the first day of the new league year, while Flacco did not sign until April.

Obviously, the Browns are unlikely to cut Gabriel after drafting him in the third round. They could try to sneak Sanders through waivers after every other team passed on him multiple times in the draft, but he could be claimed if another squad’s backup gets injured during training camp.

Roughly two months remain until training camp, and minicamp is still weeks away. But the Browns’ quarterback competition will begin to take shape at OTAs, which started today.

A player the Eagles did not deem a priority, as Tanner McKee is set to move into their QB2 role, is expected to take the first reps with the starters at OTAs. Kenny Pickett indeed will enter Cleveland’s on-field voluntary work receiving the first crack in the starting role, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot notes.

Pickett starter buzz, despite his quick Pittsburgh exit and uninspiring Philadelphia stay, has picked up recently. OTAs do not provide any padded reps, but they are certainly part of the conversation. The Browns have one of the more complicated quarterback situations in many years, especially considering the Deshaun Watson component, and Pickett is suddenly a key presence after effectively hovering off the radar at Eagles OTAs last year.

[RELATED: Who Will Lead Browns In 2025 QB Starts?]

Affirming Pickett will see the first work at OTAs, Cabot offered an update that Dillon Gabriel is likely set to be the second QB in this mix. Kevin Stefanski recently said Browns QB reps will not be doled out equally this offseason, and the May and June work will be important here. Training camp does not offer a setup where a four-man QB competition can realistically be conducted, due to time constraints, so it is certainly possible one member of this mix will be eliminated from a realistic starter path by that point. Through this lens, Gabriel’s OTA status becomes more noteworthy.

The Browns prioritized Gabriel in the draft, ranking him ahead of Jalen Milroe and new teammate Shedeur Sanders. GM Andrew Berry deemed the six-year college QB a better fit compared to Sanders; of course, that was before the team then circled back to the freefalling Colorado passer in Round 5. While ownership making its stance known re: Sanders is certainly possible, he is part of the competition along with Pickett, Gabriel and Joe Flacco. Sanders’ status also will overshadow Gabriel, who is in the historically strange position of seeing a QB drafted later by his own team dwarf his popularity.

Viewed as a Day 3 pick, Gabriel — who started at Oregon, Oklahoma and Central Florida — went off the board 50 spots before Sanders. Going at No. 94, the 5-foot-11 prospect appeared a handpicked option — whereas Sanders profiled as a value play. Sanders’ presence complicates Gabriel’s Cleveland future, but for now, the two-year Buffaloes starter resides in the background in Cleveland. He and Flacco, in some order, are set to enter OTAs in the Nos. 3 and 4 spots, Cabot offers. The Browns guaranteed Flacco $3MM, while cutting Pickett (and seeing no team claim him) would bring a $2.6MM cost.

All four will receive plenty of reps during OTAs, as concurrent QB drills will commence, but the team will need to make a plan for training camp. Team work once in training camp will begin to shape the competition ahead of the regular season, with the preseason providing the final evaluations. Teams rarely carry four passers on a 53-man roster, though it is not unprecedented. That said, the Browns either keeping all four or presenting a roster with two rookie draftees on the final 53 would mark a rare occurrence.

Watson’s status will still be worth monitoring, as he has resumed throwing, but the trade bust is not viewed as part of the current competition. His second Achilles tear is expected to lead to a placement on the reserve/PUP list, after residing on the active/PUP list (a camp-only designation) while the other four QBs vie to replace him as Cleveland’s starter. Even though Flacco and Sanders are bigger names than Pickett and Gabriel, the latter contingent appears to have the upper hand early.

MAY 23: During an appearance on ESPN Cleveland radio, head coach Kevin Stefanski said there will not be an even distribution of quarterback reps this offseason. That comes as little surprise, but the door is obviously still open to all four passers earning the starting gig depending on how training camp shakes out.

MAY 19: Since the Browns used a selection during the second and third days of the draft on a quarterback, questions have lingered about how they will sort out the position in 2025. Plenty of time remains for things to change on that front, but a few early indications have emerged.

Rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders are joined by trade acquisition Kenny Pickett and veteran Joe Flacco, re-acquired in free agency this spring. That quartet could shrink in size during roster cutdowns, but for the time being it can be expected to remain intact. Even in the wake of the Saints losing Derek Carr to retirement, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com writes no QB trade is being planned at this point.

If such a move were to be made, Cabot recently named Flacco as the passer likeliest to find himself on the move. For now, though, he is in position to compete for a spot on the depth chart upon returning to Cleveland. The 40-year-old helped guide the Browns to the postseason upon joining them midway through the 2023 campaign, and he represented a logical target to return this year. With Deshaun Watson unlikely to play in 2025 while rehabbing his second Achilles tear, Flacco could at least open the year as the starter with the rookies developing.

As Cabot adds, however, it is Pickett who appears to be the frontrunner heading into upcoming OTAs and June’s mandatory minicamp. The former Steelers first-rounder saw his Pittsburgh tenure end in short order after a disappointing spell atop the depth chart. His trade to the Eagles resulted in a one-year backup stint behind Jalen Hurts and a single start in Week 18. To no surprise, Cleveland declined Pickett’s fifth-year option for 2026, meaning he enters the year as a pending free agent.

In a separate piece, Cabot writes there will be a split of two QB pairings to divvy up reps during offseason work, which is a reasonable approach given the uncertainty surrounding the position. Pickett is slated to operate as the No. 1 (at least, to begin the process) and Cabot predicts he will be partnered with Gabriel. That would leave Flacco and Sanders alternating third-string reps, albeit with the potential to move up the pecking order depending on their performances.

Gabriel and Sanders will remain under team control through 2028 on the rookie deals, so the Browns can be expected to retain them well past this summer’s training camp. With Flacco and Pickett’s respective futures much less clear, though, it will be interesting to see how they fare during practice. The latter could help his market value to a great extent with a sustained QB1 run in Cleveland, and his audition period for the gig will begin soon.