The Cleveland Browns are just five days away from the start of training camp, and ultimately closer to an answer about who their starting quarterback will be in 2025.
As things stand, former Super Bowl champion Joe Flacco, former first-round pick Kenny Pickett, 2025 third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, and 2025 fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders are all deadlocked in a battle for presumably two spots, possibly three.
On the surface, Flacco would seem to be the frontrunner given his experience and Pickett the backup for the same reason. Many fans are convinced Sanders and Gabriel are battling for one roster spot, with their performances during training camp and the preseason the likely deciding factor.
Many expected Sanders to have a much easier path to an NFL roster when he was projected to be a first-round pick in April’s draft.
But after a five-round freefall, Sanders now has his work cut out trying to force his way up the depth chart in a crowded QB room — and based on what he told reporters after the draft, Browns general manager Andrew Berry wants the path to Cleveland’s 53-man roster to be a challenge for Sanders.
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“[The] message is come in and work,” Berry said, via NFL.com. “Come in and compete. Nothing is being given. We told him it really doesn’t matter where you’re picked. It’s what you do going forward.”
While Sanders has his work cut out for him, he also seems to be game.
The 23-year-old posted a video to his Instagram page on Friday just ahead of Browns’ training camp, and he seemingly sent a message about where he stands in Cleveland’s four-QB race.
“You know, no excuses,” Sanders said. “I’ll put in the work and do what I have to do. About to be time to be legendary, whenever that time is. You know, mentally, at the very beginning, it’ll be a challenge. But I like the challenge now.”
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Despite his draft misfortune, Sanders has maintained a positive attitude throughout OTAs and minicamp.
Though most of his reps came with the second- and third-team offense, Sanders told reporters instead of looking at that negatively, he approached it as an opportunity to go out and show the coaches what he can do.
If Sanders doesn’t make Cleveland’s 53-man roster, there seems to be a decent trade market for him. Teams that have been linked to a possible trade for Sanders include the Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Rams, and the Indianapolis Colts.
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