RR Ralphie Report: Buffs in the NFL: Could Shedeur Sanders start for the Cleveland Browns in 2025?

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Let’s take a look at the Browns’ QB situation.

It took a couple more days than expected, but Shedeur Sanders is officially an NFL quarterback.

Selected 144th overall in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns, Sanders finds himself in a peculiar situation. Typically, fifth-round quarterbacks are never put in a position to start their rookie season, but the Browns find themselves in limbo at the QB position. Shoveling $200+ million at DeShaun Watson after his sexual assault scandal proved to be a big mistake, as the former Clemson quarterback regressed greatly during his time in Cleveland before rupturing his achilles tendon in week seven of the 2024 NFL season.

Watson will likely be out for the remainder of the 2025 season, but even if he does recover, it’s looking like the Browns are ready to cut their losses and move on from the controversial quarterback. As a result, the team has brought in four new quarterbacks, including Sanders, to compete for the starting job. Let’s break each of them down to see who’s the frontrunner to start in Cleveland this season.

Joe Flacco​

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Flacco is a familiar face in Cleveland, stepping in for Watson after he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in 2023. The former Super Bowl MVP slid in seamlessly to the Cleveland offense, leading the Browns to a 5-0 record to end the regular season, eventually losing in the Wild Card game to Houston. Flacco’s heroics in Cleveland earned him the 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year and a lucrative one-year contract in Indianapolis last season. Browns GM Andrew Berry took a page out of his own book, once again bringing in Flacco to quarterback for Cleveland after another Watson injury in early 2025.

With 17 years of NFL experience and a Super Bowl MVP under his belt, Flacco is the likely frontrunner to start in Cleveland this season, at least to start the season. The only glaring weakness about Flacco is his age. The 40-year-old quarterback has been doing this for a long time, and Father Time comes calling for everyone eventually, which the other three quarterbacks can use to their advantage.

Kenny Pickett​

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Pickett shined during his time at Pitt, leading the Panthers to an ACC Championship in 2021, but has struggled since coming to the NFL. The Steelers took a flyer on the local kid with the 20th overall pick in the 2022 Draft, but Pickett had a 1:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and 62.5% completion ratio during his two seasons in Pittsburgh. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin ran Pickett out of town ahead of the 2024 season, where he landed with the eventual Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles, backing up Jalen Hurts.

After one year of back-up duty, Berry and the Browns acquired Pickett in a trade from the Eagles for fellow QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round pick in 2025. The Browns clearly see something in Pickett, or they shouldn’t have traded for him. If he can clean up his interception issues and revert back his 2021 form at Pitt, he could realistically start in Cleveland in 2025.

Dillon Gabriel​

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Along with Sanders, Gabriel is one of two rookie quarterbacks that Berry brought in to compete for the starting job. The former Oregon quarterback had an elite 2024 season in Eugene, throwing for 3,857 yards and 30 touchdowns, leading the Ducks to an undefeated 12-0 regular season and Big Ten Championship in their first season in the conference, before eventually getting smacked by Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

Gabriel was considered one of the top ten quarterback prospects in this year's draft, but many eyebrows were raised when Cleveland selected Gabriel with the 94th overall pick in the third round, significantly higher than Sanders.

Gabriel is your prototypical college quarterback in the West Coast offense. He’s got an alright arm and loves to check it down, and doesn’t mind relying on his run game. He also has a good football IQ and enough talent to make a roster.

Shedeur Sanders​

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In a group that includes a Super Bowl MVP, Sanders may be the most famous quarterback on this list, which says a lot. The former Colorado quarterback and son of NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders worked miracles with the Buffs, helping to dig what was a 1-11 team before he arrived into one of the top programs in the Big 12. Sanders won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year awards last season, throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns with the Buffs in 2024.

Although Sanders' slide in this year’s draft was unprecedented, it sounds like it was almost entirely non-football related. After a series of bad interviews in the run-up to the draft, NFL teams had concerns about the former CU quarterback. Sanders’ talent is undeniable, and he’s surely one of the most naturally talented quarterbacks on the Browns’ roster. Throughout training camp, he’ll have to showcase that talent and ability to handle adversity if he wants to see the field in 2025.

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With five (including Watson) quarterbacks rostered by Cleveland, it seems likely that one will be cut in training camp to make additional roster space. Flacco is already a lock to stay on the roster, so one of Pickett, Gabriel and Sanders will be on the chopping block. As to which of Pickett, Gabriel or Sanders will be released, it’s anyone’s guess, and we’ll probably have to wait until the end of preseason football to see.

Of the two younger QBs that do make the roster, they’ll get ample opportunity to see the field in 2025. The Browns are a rebuilding team, so there’s a good chance that head coach Kevin Stefanski will rotate through his quarterbacks at the end of the season if the Browns are eliminated from playoff contention early.

TD;DR - Sanders could realistically land the starting job in Cleveland at some point this year, but as of now, he’s got bigger fish to fry. Focus on making the 53-man roster first and foremost, and take it from there.

by RylandScholes
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