The Cleveland Browns will have an unusual offseason, employing four quarterbacks who all have the potential to earn the starting job ahead of Week 1.
General manager Andrew Berry brought in four players after two Achilles tendon injuries to Deshaun Watson in three months put his 2025 season in jeopardy. Two veterans, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, along with two rookies in third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel and fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders.
It's an unusual, but not necessarily a bad situation, especially considering the quarterback situation in Cleveland for decades.
The QB competition is by far the biggest story for the Browns this summer and 247Sports noted that early on, the four players are splitting time and reps.
"The Browns addressed the logjam at quarterback by conducting simultaneous passing drills and splitting up the reps as best they could. That doesn't mean that there wasn't attention paid to who led off with the first team, as Kevin Stefanski contended that such things meant nothing. Clearly, it's impossible to determine who the best quarterback is while playing catch without pads, but people did anyway. The Browns then trotted out Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett to talk to the press, spreading the message that they 'keep every competition the same' as this all gets worked out without contention.
"Flacco, for his part, dismissed the notion of 'mentoring' the youngsters, saying that he prefers to lead by example while having a 'lot of fun' working with them."
Watson hasn't been officially ruled out for the entire season, and there has been speculation he might be available for a potential playoff run or a return late in the season. But really, if the team is able to mount a playoff run in 2025, why would they try and sabotage it with Watson?