NFL News: Browns reveal possible decision about Shedeur Sanders, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel for 2025

The Cleveland Browns are running against time. They have a quarterback battle for the ages. Rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel are battling Super Bowl-winning vets like Joe Flacco and Kenny Picket to see who will be the starting QB come Week 1 of the NFL season.

Andrew Berry, the Browns general manager, spoke to Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports and didn’t rule out having all four signal-callers on the roster. “Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely… if they all play well enough.” That’s three reaffirmations, which means the Browns don’t have a clue about who’s winning the competition right now.

For now, it’s assumed that either Flacco or Pickett will have the first chance to command Cleveland’s offense. However, if one of the four QBs get cut, it will most likely be one of these two names. Gabriel and Sanders are rookies, which means cutting one of them would translate into a wasted draft pick.

Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders will have time to prove their worth

Not only have both rookies showed glimpses of talent, but with preseason and joint practices coming, they will have lots of chances to gain momentum. As Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot reported, both rookies will have “plenty of playing time in the preseason.” Gabriel has made waves on social media due to his ability to hit tight windows. Sanders has impressed with his accuracy.

Dillon Gabriel #5 of the Cleveland Browns throws a pass during rookie minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 10, 2025 in Berea, Ohio.

Cabot added, “If the rookies knock it out of the park in those joint sessions and games, they’ll remain in the starting conversation.” This gives the fans hope to see one of their new faces under center and puts pressure on both veterans on the depth chart.

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None of the four may guarantee success

One thing that has to be clear is that no QB might give the Browns immediate success. Flacco’s prime was literally more than a decade ago, Pickett has never been a top quarterback in the league and the other two are third and fifth round rookies.

In fact, if you take all four contracts, that amounts to a cap hit of $5.58 million according to Spotrac. Combined, they don’t even add up to a medium QB1 contract. Of course, the elephant in the room is Deshaun Watson’s deal. Watson won’t play in 2025 due to injury, but his contract will take more than $35.9 million.