Inside the Cleveland Browns QB plan, which will feature Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel in 2025

Cleveland Browns radio sideline reporter Nathan Zegura sees the difference. 

Zegura joined the Browns in 2013. He's watched rookie minicamps ranging from first-round picks such as Johnny Manziel and Baker Mayfield and Day 2 picks such as Cody Kessler and DeShone Kizer. This year is different. 

Zegura watched rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders during the team portion Friday and Saturday. He witnessed NFL-level throws that made the Cleveland Browns Instagram reel. He analyzed film on the field and the interviews off the field – and it leads to the most rational assessment for a fifth-round pick. 

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"I know it's still Shedeur and there is a lot of hype and excitement around him, but it's different when you are the 144th pick," Zegura told Sporting News. "Had he been the second pick and it was billed as, 'Here is the savior,' there would be hysteria in Cleveland after his performance." 

Sanders' path is more complicated than Mayfield and Manziel – Heisman Trophy winners who were expected to take over the starting job as rookies. Sanders wasn't even the first quarterback selected by the Browns in the 2025 NFL Draft. Oregon's Dillon Gabriel was the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. 

"It was one of those situations watching it where you had two guys who have played a lot of college football," Zegura said. "We know Gabriel has the most starts and TD passes in college football history. We know Shedeur is the most-accurate quarterback in college football history, and they both looked it."

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Deshaun Watson – who is on the fourth year of a five-year, $230 million contract, likely will miss a significant portion of the season while recovering from a torn Achilles' tendon. Cleveland traded for Kenny Pickett – the No. 20 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft – and veteran Joe Flacco in the offseason. 

Where will Gabriel and Sanders fit in that mix this season heading into OTAs, which start May 27? What clues did rookie minicamp offer? 

"I think they both looked good, and if you're a Browns' fan there has got to be hope between these two and Kenny Pickett," Zegura said. "The Browns can find somebody that can be their quarterback of now and the future and also to know that if it doesn't work out you have the security blanket of two first-round picks in 2026."

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Why Browns heavily invested in Dillon Gabriel  

Gabriel – a left-hander – displayed mobility and accurate passing in the intermediate range at rookie minicamp. He's doing that with the pressure of trying to hold off Sanders. It's an odd juxtaposition. So is Gabriel's outlook. 

"I love it," Gabriel said about Sanders being on the team. "You know, I love it because of who it is. I think just for us both, you can learn from one another, but also, it's not just us two in the room." 

The Browns took Gabriel in the third round, and he was the fifth quarterback selected behind Cam Ward (Titans, No. 1), Jaxson Dart (Giants, No. 25), Tyler Shough (Saints, No. 40) and Jalen Milroe (Seahawks, No. 92). Zegura said Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry told him the Browns would not have been able to get Gabriel with their fourth-round pick – which they used on Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson. 

"They love Dillon Gabriel," Zegura said. "I think this draft was, 'If we come out of the draft with Cam Ward, great, but if we don't come out of the draft with Cam Ward, we're coming out of it with Dillon Gabriel.'" 

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Gabriel had 63 college starts through stints with UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon. He finished with 18,722 yards, 155 TDs and 32 interceptions. Gabriel is 5-foot-11 – and that is the most scrutinized trait for the rookie QB. Zegura said Browns coach Kevin Stefanski had a question after watching Gabriel's game film: "Where does his height show up?"

"I think if he was a 6-3 quarterback, he would have been the No. 2 pick to the Browns," Zegura said. 

Gabriel addressed the question about his height on Saturday. 

"I have nothing to say to the critics," Gabriel said. "You know, for me, everyone has an opinion and is right to have their own opinion and can speak on how they feel. But for me, like I said, I'm simple, I'm focused. I got goals I want to accomplish."

Gabriel also was a third-round pick – and that is an investment for Cleveland. 

No third-round QB has been cut in his first season since the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999. Four third-round QBs — Matt Corral (Panthers, 2022), Kellen Mond (Vikings, 2021), Davis Webb (Giants, 2017) and Kevin O'Connell (Patriots, 2008) – lasted one season with their team. The Browns gave two years or more to third-round picks in Cody Kessler (2016-17), Colt McCoy (2010-12) and Charlie Frye (2005-07). 

"They think the way he wins is the way that a quarterback needs to win in Kevin Stefanski's offense," Zegura said. "They love Dillon Gabriel. He's got a better arm than people think. What nobody expected was that Shedeur would be there." 

Shedeur Sanders made a strong first impression 

Sanders' presence with the Browns cannot be understated – and the critics are looking for any misstep. A bobbled snap. A wobbly pass. Anything that would validate one of the most jarring draft slides in NFL history. 

Sanders wears No. 12 – the same number as Tom Brady, who was the No. 199 overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft before launching a career as a seven-time Super Bowl winner. Sanders was asked what Brady told him in the aftermath of the NFL Draft. 

"That my story is going to be similar," Sanders said. "I was a late round draft pick, but we're here now, so none of that stuff matters. That just mattered on the day and I'm just excited to be here and ready to work."

Sanders stands out. The bright orange No. 12 jersey. The gold chain. The style and profile matches a QB1 in the NFL – even if the reasons for that slide remain the topic of constant speculation. Was it the draft interview process? The white board? 

"There isn't a single person I've talked to in the draft media world or the NFL world in my various contacts – a lot of people come through our building – that didn't have him as a first or second-round quarterback on tape," Zegura said. "In fact, those who said the second round – it was the early second round." 

On the field, Sanders looked sharp at rookie minicamp. He commanded the team and 7-on-7 portions of Friday's minicamp with accuracy and showcased arm strength that was questioned during the pre-draft process. 

"He throws dimes," Zegura said. "I was able to watch the tape from all three days. There was one on Sunday –  57 yards in the air right in stride and it looked like nothing. There is a 25-yard deep dig and it was on a line. I thought his arm looked good. The ball placement on that back-shoulder clip that's everywhere for the touchdown. That got a lot of attention."

Sanders' presence is not understated. He is the son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders – a Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback. Shedeur credited Deion with instilling that work ethic since he was five years old – and the opportunity to prove it without Deion as a coach might end up benefitting Shedeur in this battle. 

Sanders' jersey is a hit with Cleveland, and that marketability factor will only skyrocket if he works into a starting role this season. Sanders – like Gabriel – spent that time after the draft in and around the Cleveland community.

"There's a lot of fans, a lot of people in barber shops, a lot of hairstylists," Sanders said. "There's a lot of just fans of me and of my craft and of my family that were there to support. So, I was just thankful that I have that foundation overall, just as people and we all could come together as one."

Again, Zegura can see the difference. He said Sanders must show he can play under center and call plays in the huddle efficiently before getting the pre-snap read from the defense. Yet Zegura snapped back at the notion that Sanders brings over-the-top attention with him. 

"He's been heavy into the playbook and learning and everybody has been really, really impressed," Zegura said. "It was not a circus at all. You're hearing that word being thrown around to people that were there is wild because it was not like that at all." 

Why Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders will stick with Browns in 2025

The Browns have started nine different quarterbacks in Week 1 since Zegura arrived in 2013,  and the winner of the training-camp battle will be No. 10. 

Browns Week 1 starter since 2013

Zegura has an interesting prediction for who that quarterback will be. 

"The real information gathering for this organization given where it is right now is, can Kenny Pickett be the answer? And I think he'll probably get first crack at it given that he's started 25 games in the league and given that he's won 15 of those starts and given that he came highly recommended from Philadelphia." 

Zegura said Flacco – a 40-year-old veteran who was 4-1 as a starter and led the Browns to the playoffs in the 2023 season – also could make a push for that job. Gabriel and Sanders, however, have altered some of the conversation after rookie minicamp based on their strong performances.

What could make the difference for Sanders and Gabriel in preseason? The quarterback who has better efficiency in that intermediate and deep range will have the edge. Here is a look at how those quarterbacks performed on intermediate throws (10-19 yards) and deep passes (20-plus yards) the last two seasons in college, according to Pro Football Focus. 

Shedeur Sanders vs. Dillon Gabriel (10-19 yard passes) 

Shedeur Sanders vs. Dillon Gabriel (20+ yard passes) 

It's unlikely the Browns keep all four quarterbacks – and there could be a few outlets. New Orleans quarterback Derek Carr retired on May 10. Saints coach Kellen Moore worked with Pickett in Philadelphia last season – and Flacco is a 6-foot-6 quarterback who could be a mentor for Shough – a 6-foot-5 rookie. Zegura points out that Cleveland traded Joshua Dobbs during the 2022 season and Dorian Thompson-Robinson this offseason. 

This is a trial year of sorts. Cleveland does have two first-round picks in 2026 as a result of the trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2025 NFL Draft. Will the Browns solve their QB question and use those picks on other positions? 

If the answer is yes, then it's likely Gabriel and Sanders would be part of that plan this season. That presents all manner of hypothetical scenarios.  

"If whoever gets the nod first isn't playing well or we're not winning, I could see a scenario at the end of the season where you've got five or six games out of Pickett, five or six games out of Gabriel and five or six games out of Shedeur and just try to see who emerges," Zegura said. "Does any of them give you something in that time frame that says, ‘OK, we want to go with this guy next year?" 

In the short term, the challenge will be on Stefanski to distribute the reps accordingly in OTAs and the preseason. The Browns play the Panthers, Eagles and Rams in the preseason, with the first game in Charlotte on Aug. 8.

"There's plenty of reps," Stefanski said. "There's a lot of time between now and September, so we'll have a plan. But it's an all-encompassing evaluation. It's not something that it's just based on the practice reps. There's a lot that goes into it."