Shedeur Sanders is aware of the tough competition he’ll face this year. Now, the rookie has sent a strong message to Joe Flacco and Deshaun Watson about the race for the starting job with the Cleveland Browns.
Will 2025 finally be the year when the Browns secure their franchise quarterback? Well, it will be a matter of time to see if Cleveland has an outstanding starter among the five options they currently have on the board.
Joe Flacco, Deshaun Watson, Kenny Pickett,and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders are the five options available for HC Kevin Stefanski, but only one of them will be named the starter for the 2025 NFL season.
Shedeur Sanders gets brutally honest on the Browns’ starting quarterback competition
The Browns have not been able to find a reliable starting quarterback in recent years. Despite holding several top selections in the NFL Draft, their acquisitions have definitely not lived up to expectations.
This year, the Browns were expected to use their first-round pick on a quarterback, most likely Shedeur Sanders. However, they waited until the fifth round to select him—even though they had already picked Dillon Gabriel before.
Now, the Browns have five quarterbacks competing for the starting role. With Deshaun Watson’s recovery progressing faster than expected, he is now in the mix alongside Flacco, Pickett, Gabriel, and Sanders.
The most common topic around Cleveland has been the competition between the five quarterbacks. Nevertheless, Shedeur Sanders has cleared the air on the matter, revealing that they are not against each other and are working for the good of the team.
“Everybody’s cool in the room,” Sanders said during an interview with Kay Adams. “Outside the room, people try to pit us against each other, but, inside the room, we know we’re one.”
Can the Browns retain all five quarterbacks for the 2025 NFL season?
They could, but they won’t. The Browns currently have five quarterbacks on their roster, yet two are expected to be released or traded during the offseason, as the team is likely to keep only three.
Clubs must submit a 53-man roster to the NFL for each season, which is why there’s no need to carry five quarterbacks. The offseason will determine which signal-callers will remain in Cleveland and who will have to move on and search for another team.