Keypoints Summary
- Cleveland Browns QB competition wide open ahead of training camp
- Joe Flacco brings veteran experience and a playoff resume
- Rookie Dillon Gabriel shows flashes of raw potential
- Shedeur Sanders brings swagger, accuracy, and star power
- Coaching staff faces tough decision with pressure mounting
Cleveland Browns QB Competition Is About to Explode
Forget calm. Forget predictable.
The Cleveland Browns QB competition is pure chaosโand it hasnโt even hit full speed yet.
Joe Flacco. Dillon Gabriel. Shedeur Sanders.

Three very different quarterbacks. One job.
And the Brownsโ fanbase is watching every snap like itโs life or death.
So, who takes the field Week One?
Letโs break down the madness.
The Veteran: Joe Flacco
Experience, Leadership, and a Cannon Arm
Heโs 39. Heโs got a Super Bowl ring. And heโs not done yet.
Joe Flacco might not be flashy, but heโs battle-tested.
He stepped in last season when the Browns needed him most.
And he deliveredโleading a late playoff push that stunned the AFC.
Heโs got the locker roomโs respect. He knows the playbook.
But can he move? Can he stay healthy?
Thatโs the gamble.
Coaches love his IQ. Teammates trust him.
But if Flacco falters in camp, the door swings wide open.
The Rookie: Dillon Gabriel
Raw Talent With a Rocket Arm

Dillon Gabriel is the wildcard.
The Oklahoma standout lit up college scoreboards but comes into the league as a massive unknown.
Shorter than most NFL QBs? Yes.
Lacking NFL polish? Maybe.
But heโs got fire. He throws with zip. He reads defenses quicker than most rookies.
The Browns are impressedโbut cautious.
Heโs the future. But is he ready for the now?
One camp injury, one bad game, and Gabriel could be under center faster than anyone expected.
The Star Power: Shedeur Sanders
Swagger. Precision. Big-Game Mentality.
If this were a popularity contest, Shedeur Sanders wins it today.
The former Colorado starโyes, Deionโs sonโhas the buzz, the branding, and the deep-ball accuracy to match.
He walks like a starter. Talks like a starter. Plays like a star.
But NFL defenses arenโt Pac-12 secondaries.
Can he adjust to pressure? Can he master an NFL offense by Week One?
Still, Sanders has been sharp in offseason workouts.
Word around camp is: โHeโs legit.โ
The Browns might not want a rookie show.
But if he keeps balling? Theyโll have no choice.
What the Coaches Are Saying
Stefanski Plays It CoolโBut the Clock Is Ticking
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski isnโt giving much away.
โAll three guys are competing,โ he said. โWeโll make the best decision for the team.โ
Translation: Itโs wide open.
But internally? Sources say the staff is leaning toward experienceโunless one of the young guns explodes in preseason.
Flacco has the edge.
But itโs not locked in.
The Fan Divide: Old vs. New
Fans are split.
Flacco fans want safety. Stability. A guy who wonโt make rookie mistakes.
But younger fans are calling for a new era.
โGive Shedeur a shot!โ one fan wrote on X.
โLet Dillon cook!โ shouted another.
Itโs the classic NFL battle: trusted veteran vs. hungry youth.
And the fan pressure could influence the final call.
Camp Battles Will Decide It All
Training camp is where this war will be won.
Every snap. Every throw. And Every red-zone drill.
Flacco must show he can still move and avoid sacks.
Gabriel needs to prove he can process fast enough.
Sanders? He just needs to keep slinging and stay humble.
The smallest slip could mean the difference between clipboard and cleats.
Who Has the Edge Right Now?
Our QB Power Rankings
- Joe Flacco โ Leads for now. Experience matters.
- Shedeur Sanders โ Rising fast. Upside too big to ignore.
- Dillon Gabriel โ Solid talent. Needs time and patience.
But preseason games will change everything.
One clutch drive or one ugly pick can flip the entire board.
Who Starts for the Browns in Week One?
The Cleveland Browns QB competition is about more than football.
Itโs about the future of the franchise.
Do they trust the old vet with one more season in the tank?
Or do they roll the dice on youth, speed, and energy?
The clock is ticking. The pressure is on.
And when the lights come on for Week One, only one man will lead the Browns onto the field.
Shedeur Sanders Drafting Drama Still Haunts the Browns
Did the Browns Take a Riskโor Miss the Red Flags?
When the Cleveland Browns QB competition started heating up, Shedeur Sanders already had a storm swirling around him.
His draft day wasnโt just dramaticโit was a full-blown soap opera.
Expected to go in the late first or early second round, Sanders shocked everyone by sliding deep into Day 2.
Why?
Teams had questions.
Attitude. Entourage. Influence of his fatherโNFL Hall of Famer turned Colorado coach, Deion Sanders.
Some front offices didnโt want the noise. Others feared the โbrandโ was bigger than the player.
And when the Browns took a chance, it wasnโt unanimous in the war room.
Inside the Brownsโ Draft-Day Gamble
Sources inside the organization revealed intense debate.
One camp pushed for a more traditional pickโa pocket passer with a clean media slate.
The other? All-in on Shedeur.
They pointed to his poise under pressure, his fast release, and elite football IQ.
He put up numbers. He took hits. And he delivered with the cameras on him all season.
But others hesitated.
One exec reportedly asked, โAre we drafting Shedeur? Or Team Prime?โ
In the end, the upside won.
Cleveland rolled the dice.
But the whispers havenโt stopped.
Critics Say Sanders Slipped for a Reason
Not everyone is sold.
Some scouts still claim Shedeur dodged tough questions during private interviews.
Others believe Deionโs protective approach to his son hurt his stock.
No Combine workouts. Limited media availability. Strict control over access.
โHe wanted NFL attention without NFL accountability,โ one rival scout said.
That opinion, fair or not, followed Sanders to Cleveland.
And now, with the Cleveland Browns QB competition underway, every mistake he makes gets extra scrutiny.
Shedeur Isnโt Backing Down
Despite the noise, Sanders has stayed composed.
At rookie minicamp, he addressed the draft-day fall:
โI donโt care where I went. I care what I do now.โ
It was short. Sharp. Confident.
Thatโs Shedeur.
Since arriving in Cleveland, heโs shown up early. Stayed late. Studied the playbook like itโs gospel.
And the veterans are noticing.
โHeโs not scared,โ said one offensive lineman. โHeโs got juice. He believes he belongs.โ
So does the coaching staff.
But can he block out the distractions and rise above the pressure?
The Sanders Spotlight Isnโt Going Away
Cameras follow him.
Social media never lets him breathe.
Every throw gets dissected. Every quote goes viral.
But that spotlight is a double-edged sword.
If he wins the QB job? Heโll be a star overnight.
If he falters? The critics will circle fast.
For now, Sanders is in the thick of the Cleveland Browns QB competition, battling veterans and expectations.
And make no mistakeโhe wants that starting job.
Draft drama or not, Shedeur Sanders is coming for the spotlight.
And heโs not planning to share it.