Who will be the Browns 2025 Week 1 Starting QB? (1 Viewer)

[Bracie Smathers]

I am having a hard time seeing how these stats support Sanders.

Re-read this part: After the draft people were baffled and some have gone to bat for him comparing him directly with Shedeur whose PFF numbers of handling pressure were top 3.
People were baffled with the Gabriel pick and have 'attempted' to find stats that would make sense for the selection. I highlighted the other side before adding that the stats came from PFF and linked the pre-draft files of each which include the following.
Gabriel: Gabriel's measurables — height, weight, wingspan, hand size, etc. — are all in the 35th percentile or lower among quarterbacks. That’s quite a barrier to developing into a successful NFL signal-caller. He’ll be at a significant disadvantage, and some teams may even be scared off from drafting him...

PFF Overall Grade
86.6 (9th)
Big-Time Throw %
3.2% (38th)
Turnover-Worthy Play %
1.6% (4th)
Adjusted Completion %
81.9% (2nd)
Pressure-to Sack %
13.9% (14th)
PFF Clean Pocket Grade
90.9 (9th)
PFF Under Pressure Grade
60.7 (12th)​

Shedeur: Although the Buffaloes' offensive line often couldn't hold up enough to allow him to get through his progressions, when he did have time, he was excellent. Even when he didn’t have time, he showed an ability to stand and deliver in a crowded pocket. Sanders' 86.9 PFF passing grade when under pressure with a time to throw under 2.5 seconds ranked third in college football this past season. That shows he can trust what he’s seeing from the defense and deliver despite a muddy pocket.

PFF Overall Grade
90.9 (3rd)
Big-Time Throw %
5.0% (14th)
Turnover-Worthy %
1.3% (3rd)
Adjusted Completion %
81.8% (3rd)
Pressure-to-Sack Rate
20.1% (19th)
PFF Clean Pocket Grade
94.1 (3rd)
PFF Under Pressure Grade
64.3 (8th)​

 

[runner06]

FWIW

5. Deshaun Watson (+5000)
4. Dillon Gabriel (+750)
3. Shedeur Sanders (+300)
2. Joe Flacco (+250)
1. Kenny Pickett (+100)

Wow, that's crazy. Only because that implicates that one of Gabriel / Sanders gets cut or sent to the practice squad, right? If Kenny is the FAVORITE that means Flacco is the backup, which leaves two dogs and one bone for that last spot.

Seems like it'd be easier to cut a 5th rounder than a 3rd rounder, although I suppose this situation is a little different than most. Who is more likely to not get poached from your PS? I figured Kenny Pickett would get cut, so I am shocked to see these odds. The gambler in me wants to throw $100 to $200 on the former Super Bowl MVP.

I feel like Flacco or Pickett will be the week 1 starter and whoever isn't will be cut.

I would guess the team wouldn't want to risk another team claiming Gabriel or Sanders by sending them to the practice squad?

 

[PolkHighPanther]

Flacco deserves a chance to pick up where he left off with the Brownies

 

[wlwiles]

I would think you give Pickett a shot Week 1. He's still youngish, yeah he probably is what he is at this point, but there's a non-zero chance that he could be Darnold and have some sort of mid-career resurgence. Flacco is over 40 and should only really be an option in emergency.

 

[MAC_32]

Flacco deserves a chance to pick up where he left off with the Brownies

A pick 6 fest?

 

[lsutigers]

Better question, IMO™: "How many games does Joe Flacco start for the Browns in 2025, more or less than 9?"

Agreed on Flacco, who I love, but way less than 9. Vegas has O/U at 4.5 wins. While we don't know the order, we do know the Browns opponents. Maybe Dolphins, maybe Titans, maybe Bears, maybe Jets, maybe Raiders. Maybe a split with Bengals or Steelers? I don't see any sure thing wins there. Depending on the order, could certainly see them starting 0-fer an indefinite amount of weeks which would necessitate a change at QB with other young options available.

With the schedule released, I'll stick with my original Flacco and way less than 9. Unless Cincy blows it week 1 (which is certainly in keeping with their MO), the window for Cleveland wins doesn't really open until that 7, 8, 9 (bye), 10 with Dolphins, Patriots, Jets. If they haven't snuck one by then, I expect a rookie will be starting before the bye and maybe by week 7.

 

[Bri]

Cleveland Browns' New QB Update Will Probably Surprise You

The general consensus has been that Joe Flacco will ultimately be the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback come Week 1 of the 2025 NFL campaign, but apparentl

www.si.com

Mary Kay has Pickett as QB1 when OTAs start.
That's...that's interesting.

I thought some kind of farce or trade value shenanigans or something when I mentioned it previously.

We know, we all know, it's not all that unusual for a first round pick to develop late.
Why can't I believe it with Pickett?

Maybe I need to add him in deep dynasty to cover myself. There's value in any starting QB. I just...

Ok so pretend he starts week 1 and they get to like week five. Don't you expect Gabriel or Shedeur or Flacco to take over?

Then I think I'm avoiding him correctly.

He's a very interesting monkey wrench that brings up a slew of classic FF discussions

 

[Bri]

How the Browns plan to conduct a fair quarterback competition among Kenny Pickett and 3 others: Mary Kay Cabot

They must identify their starting QB as soon as possible, and give him plenty of reps with the first-team offense to be ready for the Bengals on Sept. 7 and the gauntlet that follows.

www.cleveland.com

Mary Kay says here that the Browns will be pairing up a veteran and rookie thru OTAs; rotating who gets to work with the first string WRs

 

[daveR]

My $.02 (and not worth a penny more!)... I think we all know it'll be decided in camp, but it wouldn't surprise me if a rookie starts with the other guy as his long-term injury replacement and a veteran as game day qb2. That is, for example, Sanders starts & Flacco is qb2. Sanders gets injured & Flacco takes over that game. The next week, Gabriel starts with Flacco qb2, same as week 1.

 

[daveR]

How the Browns plan to conduct a fair quarterback competition among Kenny Pickett and 3 others: Mary Kay Cabot

They must identify their starting QB as soon as possible, and give him plenty of reps with the first-team offense to be ready for the Bengals on Sept. 7 and the gauntlet that follows.

www.cleveland.com

Mary Kay says here that the Browns will be pairing up a veteran and rookie thru OTAs; rotating who gets to work with the first string WRs

MK's opinions are suspect, but she does have inside sources. (FWIW)

 

[Bracie Smathers]

With four QBs, the default option 'appears' to be one of the vets, Flacco or Pickett but the NFL has a scattered history of FA/lower drafted QBs becoming starters. Let's take a look.
Brock Purdy in SF. How “Mr. Irrelevant” won the job.
In 2021 the Niners had Jimmy Garoppolo as their starter but made a bold move to trade up for a franchise QB. They gave up:

• 2021 first-round pick (No. 12 overall)
• 2022 first-round pick (No. 29 overall)
• 2022 third-round pick (No. 101 overall)
• 2023 first-round pick (No. 29 overall)

A ransom to move up to the 3rd pick and selected QB Trey Lance.
The next year the Niners used the final pick to take Brock Purdy. Trey was wildly inconsistent throwing in camp; Jimmy G was recovering from shoulder surgery. The Niners selected Brock Purdy with the 262nd and final pick with the plan of putting him on the practice squad but, he flashed in preseason, so Kyle Shanahan kept 3 QBs. Kyle's dad used to come to practices and kept an eye on Brock. “When you have a guy like that on your team, a guy with the traits he has,” Mike Shanahan said, “you don’t let him out of your building.”
Brock got noticed almost immediately.
About a week into camp, Shanahan, while walking off the practice field, approached CEO Jed York and told him, “I think our third-string quarterback is our best quarterback.”
Bottom line? Brock had a clear path and got an assist by injury, but he made an IMMEDIATE impact.
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Russell Wilson in Seattle.
The Hawks inked Matt Flynn to a huge FA contract, but he never played a down for them because the 75th pick in the 3rd round flashed IMMEDIATELY in camp but Matt Flynn was taking 1st team reps in practice. Russ won the job by the 3rd preseason game.
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Dak Prescott in Dallas.
Tony Romo was the starter coming off a broken collarbone the previous year, so the Boys took Dak in the 4th round, and he was impressive. Romo broke his back in the preseason, so Dak got named the starter and even though the owner Jerry Jones kept insisting Romo was the starter the back continued to be an issue as Dak gradually cemented his starting status over the season.
He flashed Immediately and got a big injury assist.
----------------------------------------------------------
Tony Romo in Dallas. The Boys had 4 QBs in camp in 2003, the year a nobody FA QB Romo got noticed by HC Bill Parcells. Tony began as a 'camp arm' but soon got noticed. After Parcells was hired as the Cowboys' coach in 2003, he brought in Sean Payton -- like Romo an alumnus of Eastern Illinois -- as his quarterbacks coach. Stephen Jones, Cowboys vice president, 1989-present: "Bill [Parcells] liked him a lot. Of course, Sean loved him. If you really want to know who found Tony, it was Sean." Darren Woodson, Cowboys safety 1992-2004: "I didn't know who Romo was until training camp. I'm watching him throw balls against us in training camp, and his ball was better than Quincy Carter's, for sure. He was the most accurate of the bunch, and to me, he was the most athletic. He was more athletic than Quincy." Tony Sparano, Cowboys assistant coach 2003-07: "It was just interesting how everybody followed him. He showed up in the huddle and nobody knew who the heck he was, but he had this demeanor about him."
IMMEDIATE impact.
-----------------------------
Doesn't matter who gets the 1st team reps in practice. The only thing that matters is if someone blows up because everyone will know.

 

[Bracie Smathers]

Brock Purdy in SF... Brock got noticed almost immediately.
----------------------------------------------------------
Russell Wilson in Seattle... flashed IMMEDIATELY
-----------------------------------------------------------
Dak Prescott in Dallas... He flashed Immediately and got a big injury assist.
----------------------------------------------------------
Tony Romo in Dallas... IMMEDIATE impact.
-----------------------------
The only thing that matters is if someone blows up because everyone will know.

1 Cleveland Browns rookie who stood out most in 2025 minicamp
... Shedeur Sanders who emerged as the rookie who stood out most, capturing the attention of coaches, teammates, and analysts alike.

Shedeur Sanders is Making an Immediate Impression​

...rookie minicamp is only the beginning. The true tests will come during OTAs, training camp, and preseason games, where the speed and complexity of the NFL game ramp up considerably. Yet, for a Browns franchise searching for stability and upside at quarterback, Sanders’ early performance is a promising sign.

 

[osubuckeyeman]

What a mess.

They want to be the most talked-about team for OTAs and Training Camp. I would pay a subscription fee to watch Hard Knocks: Browns" in 2026.

I think I'm going to pitch an idea to Roger. Have cameras at all the teams and let fans pick and pay for their team's "Hard Knocks." That way, you select your team. I'm thinking 74.99 for all of training camp. Could you imagine all the fun with that, not to mention all the write-ups. I'm in for "Hard Knocks" Browns and I'm a Bengal fan.

Someone get Roger on the phone for me. Streamable Hard Knocks. Sounds good to me.

 

[Hurl Bruce]

I voted Sanders.

I think it is going to be either Sanders or Gabriel to start the season. The team has the ammo and expected record to draft a QB high next season. They'll want to do a couple things this year: 1) See if they struck gold with Sanders (or Gabriel) or 2) Lose a bunch of games to secure a top 1-2 spot in the draft next year. Starting Sanders will do at least one of those two things.

Also, Sanders has been reported to throwing with great accuracy in the OTAs, so why not him?

 

[Bracie Smathers]

Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel OTAs stats prove Browns have a QB problem
... the Browns had another OTA session on Wednesday, and the stats (via ESPN Cleveland) show there is a true competition with both rookies playing well.

• Joe Flacco: 9-of-14, one touchdown
• Shedeur Sanders: 7-of-9, three touchdowns
• Kenny Pickett: 9-of-16, no touchdowns
• Dillon Gabriel: 11-of-16, two touchdowns, one interception

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

I voted Flacco.

He was solid last year. More than solid. I’d be a little shocked if it wasn’t Flacco.

 

[Bri]

What happens if one rookie is QB2 and one is QB3?
Normally I'm all put the time in, do the work, and wait for your opportunity and normally I enjoy competition.
Can it continue in season? Mentally, do those guys have to have a winner of their own competition?

In season, usually the backup gets little practice time while the QB3 runs the scout team. I've always wondered if it isn't better to be the three as a rookie. In this instance, I imagine I might feel like- I won, why is he getting more reps?

Does a coach want all this to deal with in season?

 

[King of the Jungle]

You have a good coach who wants to start winning games again with a decent roster on both sides of the ball with exception to the quarterback questions. I think this is a two man race between Flacco/Pickett…with the tiebreaker going to the younger and more mobile of the two. My bet is Pickett is the week one starter.