Quarterback Kenny Pickett operated the first-team offense in the Browns’ controlled team scrimmage and 11-on-11 work as training camp started this week.
Joe Flacco did not take snaps in the full team work with rookie Dillon Gabriel lined up at quarterback with the second team and Shedeur Sanders sliding in behind him for third-team reps. Deshaun Watson began training camp on the physically unable to perform list and is not participating in on-field work.
That only mildly narrows the options for Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, who said he’ll take all 46 days from the start of training camp to the Sept. 7 regular-season opener to make his call on the QB1 if necessary.
“I have a plan that’s in pencil, and we have to take in information every single day, take in how guys are handling certain situations, and then adjust from there. But we’ll get to those types of decisions later on,” Stefanski said. “I think the big thing for me is putting our guys in a position where we can evaluate them. I think they did a great job in the spring. All four of those guys, I will continue to put them in some situations, but ultimately, we’d love to make decisions sooner than later.”
Flacco, in his 18th NFL season, knows Stefanski’s offense from his 2023 run with the Browns. And he knows how to pace himself as a professional through the dog days of camp.
For that reason, he’ll be in a rotation for reps, which gives the Browns more exposure to the three contenders for playing time who are largely new to the franchise. All three were acquired in the offseason. Pickett, landed by Cleveland in a trade with the Eagles, is a relatively known commodity from his time with the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers. Gabriel, drafted in the third round after a stellar 13-1 season at Oregon in 2024, and former Colorado star Sanders (fifth-round pick) are getting up to speed as quickly as possible.
The charge to get the QB position fixed comes straight from the top. Franchise owner Jimmy Haslam was blunt and direct in assessing the Browns “thought we had the quarterback, we didn’t” in retrospect reviewing the Watson deal with the Houston Texans. Watson is recovering from a season-ending Achilles that he reinjured in January and might not play in 2025.
Re-enter Flacco, who signed after spending last season with the Indianapolis Colts and is expected to be the starter in Week 1.
Now in his second tour with the franchise, he said he understands the long view of the position will tell a different story for the Browns, but he is spending July and August dialed in only on what he can control.
“You know, it’s tough to have expectations,” Flacco said. “I think there’s been some communication between probably all the quarterbacks and Kevin. So, yeah, I guess I know a little bit what to expect, at least for the next week. But you can’t ask me. It’s hard for me to tell what it’s going to look like, you know, two, three weeks from now.”
Depending on the final makeup of the 53-man roster at the end of preseason, Browns general manager Andrew Berry said he wouldn’t rule out carrying all four quarterbacks rather than making a trade or hoping they go unclaimed on the practice squad.
He said if you consider the motive for assigning players to the final handful of roster spots, with the focus on development, why couldn’t those players be quarterbacks?
“I also think with the roster flexibility nowadays, especially with the elevations that you’re able to have on the practice squad, there’s just more flexibility in terms of how to build your 48-man game-day roster where it’s maybe not as quite as restrictive as in the past,” Berry said. “If there are four that are 53-man worthy and we think it makes the most sense for us to keep, then we will.”
–Field Level Media
