An update released on the final day of the Cleveland Browns’ mandatory minicamp indicated that the club is “trending toward” naming 2022 first-round draft choice Kenny Pickett its 2025 Week 1 starting quarterback over veteran Joe Flacco, rookie Shedeur Sanders and first-year pro Dillon Gabriel.
For an article published on Monday, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated mentioned how the fact that Flacco didn’t get “a ton of reps” in springtime workouts compared to the other three signal-callers suggests the 40-year-old could be the favorite to start Cleveland’s regular-season opener versus the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7.
“In poking around, my rough translation is that Flacco is on the same page as (Browns head coach) Kevin Stefanski,” Breer wrote. “He’s not coming back at his age to hold a clipboard. There are some changes to the offense, with new coordinator Tommy Rees (who wasn’t on Stefanski’s staff when Flacco was there two years ago), but the bones of it remain the same. Thus, the staff had a lot more to learn about Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders this spring.”
The Browns acquired Pickett from the Philadelphia Eagles back in March before Cleveland re-signed Flacco, a fan favorite who helped the Browns reach the playoffs during the 2023 season. Of Cleveland’s four active quarterbacks, Flacco is the only one who has taken an in-game snap while playing under Stefanski.
It seems in the closing days of spring that the Browns could carry four active quarterbacks on their Week 1 roster. Additionally, it appears neither Sanders nor Gabriel has much of a realistic chance to win Cleveland’s summer quarterback competition.
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