The Cleveland Browns released their first depth chart of the preseason Monday, and the quarterback order is as expected.
Veteran Joe Flacco is listed as the starter, and fellow veteran Kenny Pickett is listed at No. 2. Rookie Dillon Gabriel, whom the Browns selected in the third round of April’s draft, is No. 3. And fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders, whose slide to the fifth round was the story of the NFL Draft, is listed at No. 4.
Full Browns unofficial depth chart https://t.co/ysBLUsjdFQpic.twitter.com/Ag2hWm688K
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) August 4, 2025
The initial depth chart is far from definitive. The Browns have yet to play their first preseason game, and multiple iterations of the depth chart will be released before Cleveland takes on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1.
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But it’s a good indicator of where things stand nearly two full weeks into training camp, which has produced little movement in Cleveland’s quarterback competition. Flacco and Pickett — in that order — split reps with the first team on the first day of training camp on July 23. Gabriel and Sanders — also in that order — worked with backups.
Further giving Flacco a leg up on the starting job was Pickett’s hamstring injury, which sidelined him for a week. Pickett’s back at practice, and the injury apparently did not open the door for Gabriel or Sanders to jump him on the depth chart.
Gabriel got first-team reps while Pickett was sidelined but didn’t overtake him at No. 2 and has been dealing with his own hamstring issues that have limited him at practice. Sanders, meanwhile, has reportedly been largely relegated to working with backups throughout training camp. And he was briefly sidelined over the weekend with arm soreness before returning to practice Monday.
Because of those injury limitations, the Browns signed former Ravens backup Tyler Huntley on Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. He does not appear to be a factor in the competition, but simply another arm in training camp.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski said at the start of camp that he would like to make a decision at quarterback “sooner than later.” Flacco had the inside track then, and he still does as the Browns prepare to face the Carolina Panthers in their first preseason game on Friday.
