Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters Sunday he expects to pick the team’s Week 1 starting quarterback by the end of the week.
‘I want to get through the next couple days but certainly, that’s something that we’re gonna do here sooner than later,’ Stefanski said.
But choosing a starter isn’t the only key determination the Browns have to make. The team also has to decide how many quarterbacks to keep on its roster with cut day looming.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry has indicated Cleveland could decide to keep four quarterbacks on its initial 53-man roster. After all, the team did that in 2024 before eventually releasing Tyler Huntley. Stefanski, however, wasn’t as sure whether keeping four quarterbacks would be practical.
‘I think we’ll let it play out as we get closer to the cut down,’ Stefanski said. ‘Those are all conversations that we are always having, but those are tough decisions. You know, I’d like to keep everybody, but [it’s] not realistic.’
Stefanski’s assertion will put several intriguing quarterbacks on the roster bubble. It could also make some of the team’s banged-up signal-callers candidates to be placed on injured reserve (IR) to start the season, with the potential to be activated later.
Here’s a look at the most likely scenarios for Cleveland’s quarterback depth chart as the 2025 NFL season draws nearer:
Browns QB depth chart
The Browns presently have five healthy quarterbacks listed on their depth chart. Below is a look at the current pecking order among the group:
- Joe Flacco
- Kenny Pickett
- Dillon Gabriel
- Shedeur Sanders
- Tyler Huntley
Cleveland also has Deshaun Watson on its 90-man roster, but the veteran signal-caller isn’t expected to play in 2025 after tearing his Achilles twice in a less than three months.
Browns QB depth chart projections
There are several different ways the Browns could choose to structure their quarterback room in 2025. Below is a look at the three most likely scenarios:
Browns keep 4 QBs
- Joe Flacco
- Kenny Pickett
- Dillon Gabriel
- Shedeur Sanders
If the Browns decide to keep four quarterbacks, this will be the quartet they keep. The 41-year-old Flacco would serve as a bridge to the young trio of Pickett, Gabriel and Sanders, all of whom Cleveland acquired using 2025 NFL Draft capital.
The main drawback to this approach? Carrying four quarterbacks will cost the Browns depth at another spot on their 53-man roster. That could still be worth it, considering the upside of the team’s young quarterbacks along with Cleveland’s lengthy search for a franchise quarterback.
Browns keep both rookies
- Joe Flacco
- Dillon Gabriel
- Shedeur Sanders
Could the Browns keep two rookie quarterbacks behind their starter? It’s possible. Gabriel and Sanders have each started one of the team’s two postseason games and both flashed during their outings.
If Cleveland is impressed enough with Gabriel and Sanders, it may make Pickett — who is entering the final year of his rookie contract and at 27 years old — expendable. He hasn’t been able to practice much because of a nagging hamstring injury, so perhaps the Browns could try to stash him on IR if they deem him to be the odd man out.
Browns say goodbye to Shedeur Sanders
- Joe Flacco
- Kenny Pickett
- Dillon Gabriel
If the Browns want to keep just three quarterbacks and aren’t willing to keep two rookies, they will face a difficult decision: Should they keep Gabriel or Sanders as their third-stringer?
A case can be made for either quarterback, but the fact remains Cleveland selected Gabriel in the third round, 50 picks ahead of Sanders. That would likely make Sanders the odd man out in this scenario.
Like Pickett, the Browns could try to stash Sanders on IR to keep him in the organization. Sanders is dealing with an oblique injury that kept him out of the team’s second preseason game. That may be Cleveland’s best course of action if it wants to keep all four quarterbacks in the organization but just three on the 53-man roster.