Browns may trade Kenny Pickett for Colorado Buffaloes football legend Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel’s sake

Day by day, the chances of the Cleveland Browns trading Colorado Buffaloes legend Shedeur Sanders become more unlikely. His consistent performance in the OTAs has surprisingly kept his name alive in the Browns' starting QB competition.

Instead, reports of ESPN analyst Peter Schrager speculate that the Browns' HC, Kevin Stefanski, might consider a trade of either of their veteran QBs.

“I would be surprised personally if both of those veteran quarterbacks are still on the roster come week one, and you have the two rookies, usually in a situation like this, just covering the league a while like I have, you have the two veterans go at it,”  Schrager revealed on The Pat McAfee Show, alluding to either of the two, Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett getting traded down the line.

But it might not be Flacco since Schrager mentioned Flacco taking over as the Browns’ Week 1 starter, and either Sanders or Gabriel making it as his backup QB in a hypothetical situation.

That leaves Kenny Pickett as the odd man out.

“One of those guys is your veteran, and then you probably keep both rookies, and you dress maybe one of them. You've got Flacco as your starter week one, Shedeur or Gabriel as your backup. Then you got one who's not active, not dressed, but is obviously still on the team. So it would be surprising with the Cleveland Browns if they kept four quarterbacks,” Schrager said.

Then again, Stefanski might just trade one of the rookies. But Schrager pointed out that the Browns have two more first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, their own and the one acquired from Jacksonville, which will most likely involve a QB.

Which is why they will give Sanders and Gabriel some action before making that decision.

“When you have two first-round picks of teams and are not necessarily expected to be Super Bowl contenders, the quarterback is always going to be looming in every conversation. So I think they're going to want to get those guys, Gabriel and Sanders, action.”

That could also be the only shot Sanders or Gabriel might get to prove themselves in the uncertain Browns roster.