The Cleveland Browns entered OTA's with a major question surrounding the quarterback position. Which of their five quarterbacks will be the starter come Week 1?
Right now, the team has four realistic starting candidates. Deshaun Watson isn't likely to play for the Browns during the 2025 season, but Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel are all competing with each other.
Sanders has been the most talked about quarterback in the room. Many players have voiced their support for the former Colorado Buffaloes star and son of the legendary Deion Sanders. However, it seems unlikely that Cleveland will give the Week 1 start to a rookie.
Zac Jackson of The Athletic recently shared more insight into the competition in a new column.
Read more:Browns' Shedeur Sanders Makes Major Statement in OTAs
"There's almost no scenario where a rookie wins the starting job initially," Jackson wrote. "Almost certainly, the battle for the starting job is between the two older quarterbacks who are only signed through 2025. The battle for longer-term positioning is between the rookies."
This isn't a surprising update. Beginning the season with a veteran quarterback and replacing that veteran with a rookie at some point during the year is much more likely.
On Wednesday, Sanders was the clear-cut best quarterback on the roster from a pure numbers perspective. He's already turning heads with his arm talent.
Kevin Stefanski and the coaching staff have been very vocal about wanting to give each quarterback every possible chance to earn playing time. They are not going to lock themselves into one quarterback or another.
There is even a good chance that the Browns could have four different starting quarterbacks throughout the 2025 season. They will at least need to see what they have in both Sanders and Gabriel before next offseason.
Read more:Browns QB Kenny Pickett Fires Off Shot at Hated Rival Steelers
Cleveland could shock the world and be a playoff-caliber team in 2025. That isn't expected, but that could change as the year progresses. If the Browns are in contention, moving to a rookie may not be as likely.
However, if the team comes out and struggles to begin the year, giving playing time to the two young quarterbacks would be a wise decision for Cleveland.
It will be interesting to see what the Browns end up doing under center throughout the season. For now, it sounds like they're leaning heavily towards a veteran being the starter in Week 1.
For more Cleveland Browns and NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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This story was originally published May 29, 2025 at 9:01 AM.