Insider names 'best pure thrower' of Browns' four active quarterbacks

Following the Cleveland Browns' mandatory minicamp that wrapped up on June 12, multiple reports indicated that Joe Flacco entered the team's summer break as the favorite to be Cleveland's Week 1 starting quarterback over Kenny Pickett, 2025 third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel and 2025 fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders.

Thus, some understandably were surprised when NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah said during a recent appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show" that he thinks either Gabriel or Sanders will emerge as Cleveland's Week 1 QB1 before August comes to an end. 

For an article published on Monday, Browns reporter Zac Jackson of The Athletic suggested that Jeremiah's prediction could look silly later this summer. 

"Even if Joe Flacco doesn’t win the starting job, or doesn’t keep it past Halloween, the Browns made a smart move in April when they brought him back on a one-year deal," Jackson wrote. "Flacco is the best pure thrower of the four-man quarterback group, even at 40, but it’s his steadiness and experience that make him such a valuable addition right now. Flacco both mastered the offense quickly and earned the respect of the locker room during his 2023 stint with Cleveland. It was clear this spring that players, young and old, can lean on Flacco as the Browns go about the business of trying to fix their broken offense."

While Flacco was a great resource for the younger quarterbacks on Cleveland's roster during springtime workouts, the one-time Super Bowl MVP has also made it clear he wants to play as more than a spot-starter this coming fall. During the 2023 season, Flacco won four of five starts to guide the Browns to the playoffs. None of Cleveland's other active quarterbacks have taken an in-game snap while working with Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Local reporters have routinely said throughout June that Stefanski and Co. plan to start either Flacco or Pickett for the regular-season opener versus the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. For an article posted on June 12, Jackson shared that Pickett was "unremarkable" during minicamp practices. 

Jackson's latest update may show that Flacco was pulling away from the other three quarterbacks regarding the competition for the Cleveland starting job, even before it was learned last week that Sanders was cited for speeding in Ohio twice this month and failed to appear for an arraignment regarding the first citation. It remains to be seen if those off-the-field incidents will impact where Sanders is on the depth chart after veteran players report for training camp on July 22.