The Cleveland Browns used two draft picks on quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft with the selections of Oregon's Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round. The Browns quarterback position had been considered an open competition throughout training camp, but one ESPN insider doesn't believe that was really the case.
The Brown's quarterback room consists of NFL veteran Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Gabriel, Sanders, Tyler Huntley and Deshaun Watson. With multiple injuries and a tumultuous run in Cleveland, most believe Watson's days are numbered, and Huntley was brought in later in camp.
The Browns' quarterback competition was a four-man race, that Flacco was announced the winner of earlier this week. On ESPN's "Get Up," Marcus Spears voiced his frustration with how the Browns handled the whole thing.
Marcus Spears blasts the Browns
Spears voiced his frustrations with the Browns mishandling their quarterback competition when he believes the decision was already made.
“This should have never been a competition … Like the plan was, Joe Flacco starts (at quarterback) right,” Spears said on Get Up (h/t On3). “And let these three duke it out to figure out who’s going to be our starter eventually."
Flacco was the Browns' starter for most of last season, and Spears believes that was always the Browns' plan to at least start the 2025 season.
Pickett, Gabriel and Sanders were all competing alongside Flacco. But, Spears thinks it only set Gabriel and Sanders back from being able to learn and grow with one unit.
“The one thing that worries me, and we talked about this last night, is if you’re getting to this point with Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, and you’re saying we’re two weeks away from the season now we go start treating one of you guys like a backup, and something bad happens to Joe Flacco, both are set up for failure,” Spears said (h/t On3). “And that’s the part that bothers me."
Both players are rookie quarterbacks who've gone through their first training camp switching between the first, second and third units and haven't been able to have any consistency.
Tony Rizzo expressed his frustration with how the Browns have handled the quarterback situation and Shedeur Sanders.
“The Browns wanted Kenny Pickett to battle 40-year old Joe Flacco. That’s their answer at quarterback.”
He said the team then drafted Dillon Gabriel in the 3rd… pic.twitter.com/U2NICYwdwT
— The Dawgs - A Cleveland Browns Podcast (@thedawgspodcast) August 19, 2025
Now that the Browns have made a decision, Spears believes the rookies will be set up for failure regardless.
“I’m saying if you didn’t have Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, because Kenny Pickett has been dealing with the injury, obviously, if you didn’t have them getting second team reps, at times getting reps with the ones. And now you going into this point saying, ‘Hey, Dillon you the two.’ Or ‘Shedeur, you the two,’" Spears said (h/t On3). "Well, bro, I’m so far behind of what it’s like to be out there with David Njoku, I’m so far behind game-like scenarios that Joe Flacco has been through a million times.”
Both Sanders and Gabriel have each had one start in the preseason with Pickett dealing with injury, and performed well. Sanders went 14/23 for 138 yards and two touchdowns, and Gabriel went 10/13 for 143 yards, but did throw an interception.
The good news for the Browns is Gabriel had a lot of college experience and Sanders was expected to a first round pick, so the rookie may have the talent and experience to learn quickly if needed. However, Spears believes the Browns may have set both guys up for failure.