The Cleveland Browns haven’t named a starting quarterback yet, though the decision is relatively fast-approaching.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com discussed the team’s timeline for determining its QB pecking order and noted a point in the preseason schedule where the picture is highly likely to become clear.
“By the time the Browns practice against the [Philadelphia] Eagles on [August] 13 and 14, it will be easier to see which way the Browns are leaning,” Cabot wrote on Monday, July 21. “The QB1 in those practices has a good chance to be the Week 1 starter, although the Browns will get some good data from the second preseason game in Philly, too.”
Cabot said Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders will likely start the first and second half of the team’s second preseason contest, respectively, on August 16, which will be the first real chance either rookie gets to show himself to the world against an opposing NFL defense — albeit one fielding multiple backups and/or players who will not make a roster outright come Week 1.
Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco Have Inside Track to Start Week 1
GettyQuarterbacks Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel (L-R) of the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns’ first preseason game comes August 8 against the Carolina Panthers. Based on the timelines of the two games as well as the joint practices with the Eagles, it is essentially a certainty that Cleveland makes a call on its QB1 sometime between August 8-16.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated explained on July 14 that the Browns are incentivized to decide quickly the relative ranking of their signal-callers. He also named the team’s two veterans as the two favorites to win the gig.
“Time is short. Reps in camp will be valuable. Bottom line: It wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the team to drag things out,” Breer wrote. “To that end, you’ll probably be able to see where things stand early on. [Joe] Flacco will be in the running. [Kenny] Pickett almost certainly will be, too.”
Cabot on Monday identified Pickett as the likely frontrunner on the cusp of camp, though with a caveat.
“My guess is that Kenny Pickett still has a slight edge in terms of being No. 1 on the depth chart heading into training camp, but that could quickly change,” she wrote.
Shedeur Sanders’ Place in QB Hierarchy Remains Among Top Questions of Browns Training Camp
GettyCleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
All of this leaves Sanders on the outside looking in, potentially at the QB4 position when the regular season begins.
However, the various takes from various national analysts on how the Browns’ quarterback situation ultimately plays out are as varied — and likely as imperfect — as the competition’s candidates themselves.
“Joe Flacco is back to save the day, assuming he beats out Kenny Pickett,” Vic Tafur of The Athletic wrote on July 17. “And Shedeur Sanders should get a much-needed win and beat out Dillon Gabriel for the No. 3 job, as the Browns will learn you can’t draft a short quarterback in the third round just because he has a firm handshake and intangibles.”
Browns’ Timeline for Naming Starting QB Becomes Clear