Context:

The Cleveland Browns are facing a competitive quarterback battle to replace Deshaun Watson, who is out for the 2025 season due to injury. The contenders include veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, alongside rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. According to Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer, the Browns must determine who is ready to compete before August due to limited practice reps, with Joe Flacco currently favored to start. However, the rookies Sanders and Gabriel have the opportunity to change this dynamic if they perform well in the early summer sessions. Any early trade involving the veteran quarterbacks could indicate a shift towards the rookies taking the starting position in the upcoming season.

Dive Deeper:

• The Cleveland Browns need to identify a new starting quarterback to fill the void left by Deshaun Watson, who is sidelined for the 2025 season with a torn Achilles. The competition involves veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, and rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.

• Albert Breer from Sports Illustrated suggests that the upcoming OTAs and veteran minicamp, typically used for teaching, will play a critical role in deciding the starting quarterback due to the limited practice time available in August.

• Joe Flacco is currently seen as the likely starter due to his experience, but the rookies, Sanders and Gabriel, have a chance to alter this outcome if they impress during the early part of the summer practices.

• A potential early trade involving either Flacco or Pickett could signal the Browns' confidence in one of the rookies stepping into the starting role, affecting the dynamics of the quarterback battle.

• If both veteran quarterbacks remain with the Browns into August, it may indicate that the team is less likely to start Sanders or Gabriel in the opening game of the season.

• The decision-making process will be influenced by new Offensive Coordinator Tommy Rees, working alongside head coach Kevin Stefanski, emphasizing the need to prepare the entire offense for Week 1.

• The situation presents a strategic challenge for the Browns' coaching staff as they balance developing the rookies and leveraging the experience of the veterans to ensure a competitive start to the season.

• The Cleveland Browns are in for quite the potential quarterback battle.

• There are four contenders: Veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, and rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.

• They'll all be vying for the spot vacated by trade bust Deshaun Watson, who will miss the 2025 season with a torn Achilles.

• Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer gave his take on the battle in a mailbag he wrote on Wednesday:

• "Generally, the period of OTAs and the veteran minicamp is for teaching. But in this case, I do think the Cleveland Browns, with new OC Tommy Rees riding shotgun to head coach Kevin Stefanski, are in a position where they have to figure out who’s going to be legitimately ready to compete for the quarterback job in the summer because there’ll only be so many reps to go around in August, and they’ll have to get the whole offense ready for Week 1.

• "Right now, I’d bet on Joe Flacco starting the opener for that reason. But, again, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders will have the chance to change the equation if they show well enough over the course of May and the first half of June."

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• That's very interesting insight.

• Sanders and Gabriel could change the entire battle before the calendar even flips to July, based on what Breer wrote.

• An early QB trade could be an indicator, too. If Flacco or Pickett gets moved, it points toward a rookie being on a path toward the starting job.

• If both veterans stick around into August, the Browns likely won't be giving the job to Sanders or Gabriel.

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