The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback situation this year is unlike anything we’ve seen before. Not only did the team draft two rookie quarterbacks: Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and college football standout Shedeur Sanders in the same class, but they did so while already carrying one of the league’s highest-paid players in Deshaun Watson.
To top it off, the Browns added veteran experience to the mix, signing Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco and former first-rounder Kenny Pickett.
Naturally, from the outside looking in, Cleveland’s quarterback room seems like a pressure cooker, with most expecting their training camp to devolve into a full-blown quarterback war. But according to players inside the facility, that narrative doesn’t hold. This was evident from Myles Garrett’s words, who offered a completely different view of this so-called ‘QB room battle royale’.
“I’ve really seen that they help each other and they work together,” Garrett said at training camp. “The guys are not afraid to make a mistake, go out there and try to make a play… they’re not afraid to seek each other out and make each other better.”
This willingness to collaborate, rather than compete at each other’s expense, is especially noticeable among the rookies: Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. As Garrett pointed out, “Whether that’s the young guys talking to Joe or Joe talking to the young guys,” the chemistry is palpable.
Flacco echoed the same sentiment when asked about the dynamic inside the Browns’ quarterback room. “It’s been a lot of fun. Those guys are good,” he said. “They got a good head on their shoulders… there’s football going around, stories going around, it really has been a lot of fun.”
What stood out most to Flacco, a Lombardi Trophy winner with over a decade of NFL experience, was how Gabriel and Sanders have approached learning:
“Just to hear the way they ask questions and the way questions get answered… you can kind of put yourself back in their shoes when you were a rookie.”
Considering how Cleveland faithful have been in low spirits post the Deshaun Watson debacle, this commentary on the rookies from locker room veterans must be a refreshing feel. The impact of this sentiment only intensifies when one considers the current hierarchy in the field.
As per the latest reports , Gabriel is leading the Browns’ QB snap count with 38, followed by Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco at 34 each. Shedeur Sanders trails slightly with 31 snaps and has yet to receive a rep with the first-team offense.
Still, Gabriel’s early command of the offense in team drills has turned heads. ESPN Cleveland’s Daniel Oyefusi noted the snap distribution as a possible reflection of how the coaching staff is prioritizing the quarterback battle.
But as we have heard from Garrett and Flacco, this competition isn’t breeding division; it’s cultivating growth. And in a room full of hopefuls and longshots, it’s that shared mindset of support that may end up shaping Cleveland’s quarterback future. Exciting times ahead for the Dawg Pound.
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