Herbstreit On Browns QB Race: ‘Someone’s Going To Get Cut’

Kirk Herbstreit has seen every one of the Cleveland Browns quarterbacks live, and he has a strong opinion about who they should keep on their roster in 2025.

The NCAA and NFL football analyst shared what no one else would in response to the Browns QB race: that one of them will not make the team when camp breaks in roughly six weeks.

Deshaun Watson is sure to be on the roster, since Cleveland signed him to an ill-advised fully guaranteed contract. Watson won’t play this year due to his Achilles tendon tear, yet that doesn’t matter since the Browns still have four QBs on the roster — Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.

What Did Kirk Herbstreit Say About The Browns QBs Race?

Herbstreit is an Ohio native, who played quarterback at Ohio State. Therefore, he has a strong opinion of who should start for Cleveland in Week 1, and it’s a quarterback who has had recent success in Cleveland.

“My guess would be that they got to go with a veteran, with Joe Flacco, would be my guess,” Herbstreit told “The Escapist” magazine. “You got to go with a guy like Flacco, just because two years ago, he was the NFL Comeback Player of the Year because of what he did in Cleveland. You hang your hat on him and hope he can stay healthy for most of the year.”

Sanders, of course, was a fifth-round pick of the Browns out of Colorado. Even though Sanders was selected 50 picks later than Gabriel from Oregon, he is the second-most likely QB to make the Browns.

“One thing I read, (Sanders) looks like he should start,” Herbstreit said. “The next thing is, he’s only playing with the younger guys, and he’s still in a developmental role. That’s pretty common for a (draft) pick. It takes time to make that adjustment. My guess would be he makes the team, but he’s more in a developmental role.”

That leaves Pickett or Gabriel to earn either the backup quarterback role. Given how NFL teams generally do business, and with the potential for Watson to still be on the team in 2026, whoever does not make the team is likely to end up on the waiver wire.

“If you take Deshaun away, you still have four (quarterbacks),” says Herbstreit. “Most teams keep three. Someone’s going to get cut, and I think it’s going to be based on how things go in camp.

“If we’re betting on what we think Shedeur will do, my bet is he makes the team, but he’s in a backup role.”

What Did Kirk Herbstreit Say About NCAA Football Video Game Return?

Though he calls NFL games on Thursday nights, Herbstreit is renowned as the top analyst in college football. He expressed his excitement for both the return of the EA Sports NCAA Football video game and the fact he was the analyst for the game.

“When it went away, it was such a bummer, because I was not only doing the voice work, but I was a consumer,” Herbstreit said. “I played it, and I thought it was gone for good. Then when it decided to come back, and they allowed it back, I was obviously very excited to be part of it again, and the game is at a whole different level now. With technology and the voice work we did, we worked very hard on, I know it was a thrill last year.”