NFL News: Kevin Stefanski makes something clear on Browns’ QB1 between Shedeur Sanders and Joe Flacco

Kevin Stefanski will face a major challenge in deciding who will be his starting quarterback when the Cleveland Browns begin their journey through the 2025 NFL season. Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco are now joined by rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. The battle for the role has begun.

In recent hours, the Browns’ rookie minicamp kicked off, with Gabriel and Sanders taking the initial reps. Gabriel, a third-round pick, opened the activities as the first to take snaps, followed by Sanders, who was selected in the fifth round.

Speculation grew so much that Stefanski had to clarify that the order in which the quarterbacks took reps wasn’t meaningful. At the same time, he made his stance on the Browns‘ QB1 for the upcoming season very clear.

Stefanski’s clarification on who will be the Browns’ QB1

“I wouldn’t look into anything. I think you’ll see the whole weekend, going through the spring. I mean, we don’t pay too close attention to who’s in that first snap. I thought both guys did a nice job,” Stefanski said about Sanders and Gabriel in the minicamp, according to NBC Sports.

Joe Flacco #15 of the Cleveland Browns walks off the field after the AFC Wild Card Playoffs against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on January 13, 2024 in Houston, Texas.

However, Stefanski didn’t just talk about the rookies — he also made a statement that applies to Flacco and Pickett, the other contenders for the starting quarterback job. “There’s a lot of time between now and September, so we’ll have a plan. But it’s an all-encompassing evaluation,” the Browns head coach said.

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Flacco has said he wants to play

Although all four available quarterbacks will be evaluated by Stefanski, Flacco is entering his second stint with the franchise and has been clear about his intentions ahead of the season. “I want to play. It’d be easy to say, ‘All right, I’ve done enough,’ but I made a decision that I’m going to do this. I want to play, and I’m going to play until I can’t,” the veteran quarterback said a few days ago.