For Browns fans hoping Shedeur Sanders would leapfrog the depth chart after his electric preseason opener, Kevin Stefanski’s “I’m honestly not focused there,” comment after the game hit everyone like a cold splash of reality. The rookie did his best. Completing 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, the Browns’ rookie looked confident and poised under center. Fans were ready to jump on the hype train, hoping this was the moment Stefanski finally handed himself the keys. But hold your horses. NFL tradition says otherwise. Joe Flacco sits solidly atop the Browns’ quarterback depth chart. Behind him are Dillon Gabriel and Kenny Pickett, both battling hamstring injuries. It’s a crowded room, with the coach cautious not to rush any decisions.
That caution lines up perfectly with what Browns announcer and NFL insider Andrew Siciliano told 92.3 The Fan hosts Baskin and Phelps. When asked if Flacco’s hold on the starting job means no one beat him out, or he actually beat everyone else, Siciliano cut to the chase: “Pickett was the only guy out there. Neither are the rookies and it just doesn’t happen…it just doesn’t happen that third and fifth round rookies win starting jobs.” Siciliano said rookie quarterbacks rarely start Week 1, even when they show promise. But the exceptions?
Russell Wilson and Dak Prescott. Looking back, Prescott, picked in the fourth round, was third on the depth chart behind Tony Romo and Kellen Moore. In Andrews’ words, Dak “started out of necessity.” A preseason injury to Moore forced Prescott into the backup role behind Romo, and when Romo went down mid-preseason, Prescott got the starting nod. The rest is history.
NFL, American Football Herren, USA Cleveland Browns Minicamp Jun 10, 2025 Berea, OH, USA Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders 12 throws a pass as quarterback Joe Flacco 15 and quarterback Dillon Gabriel 5 and quarterback Kenny Pickett 8 look on during minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Berea CrossCountry Mortgage Campus OH USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xKenxBlazex 20250610_kab_bk4_052
Similarly, Wilson, a third-round pick, became the Seahawks’ starter in his rookie year only after injuries sidelined Matt Flynn. Siciliano reflected on these two instances to underscore the rarity of rookies starting immediately without prior injuries. His point is simple: it usually takes injuries ahead of rookies for them to get the job. Otherwise, the veterans hold firm. For Shedeur Sanders fans, Siciliano’s words confirm what many feared: flashing in a preseason opener isn’t the same as breaking into the starting lineup this early.
And the same happened with Sanders. The QB4 jumped to be the preseason opener because Pickett and Gabriel both got hurt. Otherwise, the guy had no chance. Andrews wrapped it up with a dose of Browns reality: “We’ve talked about this a thousand times, when you look at the Browns schedule the first six weeks, it’s just I’d be stunned.” He’s talking about a brutal start for Cleveland – a gauntlet of Bengals, Ravens, Packers, Lions, Vikings, and Steelers lined up early in the season. Not exactly the place you roll out an unproven rookie quarterback.
Coach Stefanski’s careful dance: Who’s next in line at QB?
The Browns’ QB room remains a puzzle box. Joe Flacco, the veteran, holds the inside track as Week 1 approaches. Dillon Gabriel is still rehabbing a hamstring injury but is back in team drills. Pickett is also sidelined with a similar issue. That leaves Sanders, the young gunslinger who impressed in the preseason opener, trying to keep pace without any promises.
Coach Stefanski is walking a fine line. He expressed satisfaction with Shedeur Sanders’ preseason performance but emphasized that the focus remains on overall player development. Shedeur Sanders himself is keeping his head down. “When I get out there it’s just doing what I gotta do,” Sanders said about the Browns’ depth chart. “Everything else is not in my hands, so I don’t worry about it. I just don’t think that deep into everything because it’s nothing you’re gonna be able to control. So why put energy in something that you can’t control?”
Looking ahead, the Browns travel to Philadelphia for Week 2 of the preseason on August 16, where the Eagles await. Flacco is expected to sit out that game to rest, while Gabriel, now back in practice, and Sanders will get their chances to impress in live action. Stefanski declined to name a starter for that game but confirmed Gabriel is in play, barring setbacks, with Sanders also likely to see snaps. That means the quarterback competition isn’t settled. Health, experience, and performance will all factor into who ultimately leads the Browns into Week 1 against the Bengals.
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