The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback competition has finally come to a close, and head coach Kevin Stefanski has named his Week 1 starter.
The decision isn’t all that surprising: the nod goes to veteran Joe Flacco, who didn’t play a single snap in the preseason but brings the kind of steady presence the Browns are looking for to open the year.
The rest of the depth chart, though, is far less specific. Cleveland traded for former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett earlier this offseason, while two rookies — Dillon Gabriel from Oregon and Shedeur Sanders from Colorado — were also in the mix for snaps during camp.
Gabriel, a third-round pick in April’s draft, turned heads in his NFL debut against the Philadelphia Eagles.
He finished with 143 passing yards and showed good poise running the offense. The blemish on his outing was a costly pick-six thrown to Texas rookie safety Andrew Mukuba, which prevented him from finding the end zone. Still, outside of that mistake, Gabriel looked capable and proved he belongs in the conversation.
Where he — and Sanders — fall on the depth chart remains to be seen. If the Browns keep four quarterbacks, Gabriel likely has the edge over Sanders because of his higher draft status. But it wouldn’t be shocking if one of the rookies ended up being traded.
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Keeping four quarterbacks isn’t something you see every day, but with the way things have gone in Cleveland, it wouldn’t be all that shocking.
Gabriel’s solid showing wasn’t enough to knock off Flacco, who gets the call for Week 1. Still, the rookie proved he can hang at this level, and even if he has to wait for his shot, the Browns might be turning to him sooner than later.