A widely-contested battle for the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback job has now reached its conclusion, as head coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Monday that Joe Flacco will serve as "QB1" during the team's regular-season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Thus, the rest of the preseason will serve as an opportunity to sort out the rest of the quarterback room, which includes Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and Tyler Huntley. (Deshaun Watson will remain on injured reserve for the time being as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon.)
NFL teams oftentimes keep three quarterbacks on their 53-man rosters during the regular season. Should the Browns follow that same line of logic, they will be forced to answer a difficult question: Will the former Colorado Buffalo or Oregon Duck be the one to go?
Browns expected to keep four quarterbacks on roster for 2025 season
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Fortunately for Sanders and Gabriel, that is not a question the Browns plan to address this August, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
"Even though they named a starter today, we don't know the backup. I expect the Cleveland Browns to carry four quarterbacks on their final 53-man roster," Schefter said during [an appearance on "NFL Live" on Monday](https://x.com/adamschefter/status/1957544251576795620). "They're going to keep both rookies. They're going to keep Flacco. So we're really talking about Kenny Pickett, and I expect he makes the roster because quarterbacks are currency."
Pickett, the lone quarterback of the three projected non-starters with NFL experience, is widely expected to slide into the backup role behind Flacco — so long as he remains healthy. Because of this, the battle for the No. 3 spot will likely come down to Sanders and Gabriel.
Both first-year players have been given opportunities to showcase their skills during preseason games this summer. With Gabriel on the shelf for the Brown's preseason opener, Sanders went on to complete 14 of his 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. The following week, Gabriel totaled 143 yards and one interception on 13-of-18 passing while Sanders nursed an injury.