CLEVELAND, Ohio — The latest episode of the Orange and Brown Talk podcast delves into one of the most provocative football questions facing the Cleveland Browns: Is turnover-free football always the goal, or should quarterbacks be encouraged to take risks for explosive plays?
In a candid exchange that perfectly captures the quarterback dilemma facing the team, Browns beat reporter Dan Labbe fired off a take that might make head coach Kevin Stefanski cringe.
“I think sometimes interceptions are okay, and Kevin Stefanski would probably get mad at me for saying that,” Labbe said during the podcast, “because I just think what you don’t want is a guy that just dinks and dunks all the time and is just afraid to take shots.”
This philosophy sits at the heart of the Browns’ quarterback competition between veteran Joe Flacco, former first-round pick Kenny Pickett, and rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. Each brings a different risk-reward profile to the position.
Mary Kay Cabot, longtime Browns insider, highlighted the stark contrast in production between two leading contenders. “Kenny Pickett only has 13 touchdown passes in his two seasons in Pittsburgh... In his final seven games in Pittsburgh, he threw one touchdown pass,” Cabot pointed out before delivering the bombshell comparison: “13 touchdown passes for Joe Flacco in those five starts [with Cleveland in 2023]. And in three of those five games, he had three touchdown passes in each of those three games.”
This production gap illustrates the team’s fundamental quarterback question: Do they prefer the potential explosive offense with Flacco’s big arm and willingness to take chances (despite the occasional interception), or the reportedly “cleaner” but less dynamic play of Pickett?
Sanders, the team’s fifth-round pick, represents another fascinating option with both high ceiling and significant development needs. Cabot didn’t sugarcoat his biggest weakness: “The first thing that he needs to figure out is how to not continually drift backwards and often into trouble when he doesn’t see the right thing open at the right time. And he took way, way too many sacks and negative plays in his last two seasons at Colorado.”
The podcast conversation revealed the Browns’ likely internal preference: they hope Pickett can bridge the gap between safety and explosiveness. As Cabot explained, “I think in a perfect world, they probably don’t want to start a rookie right away. ... When you’re getting down into the third round quarterback and you’re getting down to the fifth round quarterback, the expectation there isn’t Day One starter.”
With the Browns potentially holding two first-round picks in next year’s draft, this season represents a crucial evaluation period for all quarterbacks on the roster. Pickett acknowledged it takes time to master a new system, but Labbe correctly noted the urgency: “None of these guys have time for that to actually happen. ... They’ve kind of got a year to show it.”
The philosophy that eventually wins out will define Cleveland’s 2025 season. As training camp approaches, fans should pay close attention to which quarterback shows the ability to push the ball downfield while maintaining an acceptable level of ball security.
Want to hear the full quarterback breakdown, including revealing insights about Shedeur Sanders’ ball placement skills and the Browns’ offensive evolution plans? Listen to the complete Orange and Brown Talk podcast episode for more expert analysis from Mary Kay Cabot and Dan Labbe.
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