Shedeur Sanders primed to beat out Dillon Gabriel, Kenny Pickett for Browns' QB2 role

The Cleveland Browns aren't going to carry four quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster, which means someone has to go.

Of the four competitors in Cleveland, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, the thought was that Sanders was the most vulnerable because he was drafted in the fifth round.

However, Sanders appears to be better than advertised, at least through minicamp. Zac Jackson of The Athletic notes that Sanders has been "good enough" for the Browns to give him more chances in training camp.

But, for now, the rest of the Browns' quarterbacks are likely looking up at Flacco, who appears to be the favorite for the starting job.

"From here, the belief is that Flacco is the clear favorite to win the first phase of that competition and the starting job," he wrote. "How the rest of it shakes out is anyone’s guess, but Sanders has been good enough this spring to make coaches believe he’s worthy of more chances this summer.

"I think he’s earned that, and based on what we’ve seen to this point, Sanders has positioned himself to make the roster and eventually make the folks in charge think about where he might belong on the depth chart," Jackson concluded.

By more chances, that likely means more looks with the first-team offense. Sanders hasn't gotten many, if any, this offseason while fellow rookie signal-caller Gabriel has gotten plenty.

Jackson adds that he team "might be on to something" with the Colorado product, who he says has shown "accuracy and decisiveness" this offseason.

"The quarterback competition that got bigger on the final day of the draft was never going to be super interesting until August," Jackson said. "It’s fair to say, too, that the addition of Sanders is actually what makes it intriguing. Not just his presence, but the accuracy and decisiveness he’s shown this spring."

"That’s all getting way ahead of things right now, so we’ll defer to what Stefanski has repeatedly said and pump the brakes," the Browns reporter added. "Here at the end of what can fairly be called a three-week quarterback camp, Flacco is the best passer, and Sanders made enough impressive throws to make me think Cleveland might be on to something with him."

The Browns' third-round pick, Gabriel, has been up and down in his first offseason with the team, but Jackson notes that the Oregon product did manage to finish Cleveland's minicamp on a high note.

Meanwhile, Pickett has been "unremarkable."

"From my view on the sidelines, these two minicamp practices have been Gabriel’s best throwing days. He’s finished both strongly after erratic starts. Sanders comes in and generally gets the ball out of his hand quickly and confidently. Flacco can still fling it when he’s asked to, and Pickett has been unremarkable," Jackson said.

Another Browns beat reporter, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, believes that both Sanders and Gabriel will make the roster out of training camp and adds that they could even keep themselves in the mix for the starting job.

“The good thing for Gabriel and Sanders, who will both undoubtedly make the team, is that they’ll get plenty of playing time in the preseason considering the Browns will conduct joint practices before their preseason opener in Carolina Aug. 8, and their second preseason game in Philadelphia Aug. 16," Kay Cabot wrote. "The previous two times the Browns have practiced against the Eagles, they rested their starters in the game. If the rookies knock it out of the park in those joint sessions and games, they’ll remain in the starting conversation,” Cabot wrote.

Cabot doesn't seem to be as high on Pickett, who she thinks wasn't put in the best position to succeed.

“As for Pickett, the Browns didn’t play to his strengths in spring ball, focusing more on under-center play-action and vertical shots downfield, with very little movement," she wrote. "It’s more suited to the Flacco style of play, which he excelled at here in 2023. But once the Browns get into camp and games with fewer restrictions, they’ll take more advantage of Pickett’s athleticism and mobility, with keepers and off-schedule plays."

The Browns' quarterback competition isn't just about the starting job. The team also has to figure out how the rest of the depth chart will shake out behind the starter.

There is definitely still a long way to go before this is decided. After all, the pads haven't even come on yet, something that will happen at training camp.

But as of right now, Sanders seems to routinely be getting the best reviews of the quarterbacks not named Flacco, which puts him in position to at least grab the Browns' QB2 role.

And, if both rookies can show enough, it might be Pickett who is the odd-man out at the end of training camp.