Picture this: the electric buzz of NFL Draft night, a franchise-altering pick announced, hope surging through a fanbase like a fourth-quarter rally. Now fast-forward to training camp, where that same hope curdles into disbelief. That’s the jarring reality gripping the Browns after Kevin Stefanski unveiled the Browns’ first depth chart of 2025, listing quarterbacks as:

1. Joe Flacco
2. Kenny Pickett
3. Dillon Gabriel
4. Shedeur Sanders

Let that sink in. The guy who rewrote Colorado’s record book with 4,134 yards and 37 TDs last season, snagged the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and had his No. 2 jersey retired after just two years in Boulder? Buried behind three guys fighting for relevance.

Digging into the depth-chart logic feels like navigating a Cover 2 defense blindfolded. Stefanski leans on Flacco’s 191 career starts and 2023 Comeback Player of the Year grit, a safe harbor after Cleveland’s 3–14 shipwreck. Pickett, despite a career 78.8 passer rating and recent hamstring woes, gets the QB2 nod, likely banking on his Pitt-record 12,303 yards and fleeting Steelers moments. Gabriel, the Oregon star with 18,722 career college yards and 155 TDs, impressed early in padded camp with his veteran-like timing, landing QB3.

But Sanders? The fifth-round pick finds himself boxed out, reportedly hampered by minor shoulder soreness, limited reps, and even some off-field speed bumps GM Andrew Berry called “just not smart.” Insiders whisper about a “four-year plan,” viewing him as raw clay needing molding behind vets. ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi framed it bluntly: “You have to look at it as a four-year plan … they want to develop them over time.” Deion Sanders even confirmed Shedeur asked him to skip camp, embracing the “underdog role.”

Yet this feels bigger than reps or draft pedigree. Shedeur wasn’t just stats; he was poetry in cleats at Colorado. Think of that 43-yard Hail Mary against Baylor, a moment suspended in time where sheer will met perfect spiral. His 74% completion rate and 168.2 passer rating weren’t flukes; they were surgical demonstrations of accuracy and processing speed scouts compare to Jared Goff.

While Flacco offers cannon-arm nostalgia and Gabriel provides steady rhythm, Sanders brought a rare blend of pinpoint ball placement and icy veins under pressure, forged behind Colorado’s sieve-like line (50+ sacks allowed in ’24). Seeing that potential languish as QB4 while Pickett nurses a hammy and Gabriel learns the playbook? It’s like benching a rookie CJ Stroud for Alex Smith and Chase Daniel.

The Browns Nation has responded to Stefanski’s QB lineup, and they haven’t minced words.

Fan’s patience wears thin as Shedeur Sanders stays shackled at QB4

Browns Nation sees a future star collecting dust. “In Shedeur We Trust,” declared a fan, a plea echoing through the Dawg Pound’s storied, championship-starved history.

It feels less like a depth chart and more like a Madden franchise-mode glitch. Fans aren’t just confused; they’re furious. “Man, get Shedeur out of Cleveland, please,” one lamented online, echoing a sentiment growing louder by the snap. Another demanded action: “Trade Shedeur to Raiders.” Remember OTAs? Sanders was the talk of Berea, dominating drills with a 75%+ completion rate, threading ’viral’ touchdowns, and earning praise as “the purest passer in the group.”

Yet when the official pecking order dropped, he landed squarely at QB4. “Browns if y’all release Shedeur, I guarantee Cowboys will grab him,” warned a fan, highlighting the perceived waste of talent.

The core question burns: “Why not just trade homie to a team that could use him and draft capital for next year if they finna make him a 4th string anyway?” Stefanski preaches a return to ground-and-pound roots, hoping veterans stabilize a brutal early schedule. Maybe Flacco’s Super Bowl XLVII MVP pedigree buys time.

But in an era where rookies like Stroud redefine franchises overnight, treating a record-shattering, jersey-retiring talent like Sanders as a long-term project feels less like patience and more like purgatory. If he’s truly QB4 come September, the chorus demanding his trade won’t just be noise. Indeed, it’ll be the sound of Cleveland potentially fumbling away its next great signal-caller before he even takes a regular-season snap. The Dawg Pound deserves more than just safe choices. It deserves a glimpse of that Colorado magic, not buried on a depth chart, but unleashed on the field.