At the Cleveland Browns training camp, the quarterback competition has been nothing short of intense. While explaining his job as the head coach, Kevin Stefanski had said, “Got to put these guys in position to succeed.” This is exactly why he has been holding off on passing over some of his leadership duties to any one quarterback. Joe Flacco, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and Kenny Pickett are still battling for the starter QB position under Stefanski.

With these quarterbacks, every rep counts and every misstep matters to ensure that they establish themselves in the pecking order. But as the dust settles after a few key practices, it looks like a shake-up might be coming soon. So, who’s actually rising in this crowded QB room?

On Day One of full-speed team drills, Flacco came out sharp and efficient. He completed all five of his passes, including a touchdown. Pickett wasn’t far behind, going 6-for-7 and looking calm in the pocket. Meanwhile, rookie Gabriel made the most of his snaps with the starters, putting up a perfect 7-for-7 with a touchdown. That left Shedeur Sanders buried in the depth chart, throwing just 3-for-8 while working mostly with the second and third units. And then came the twist.

During a red-zone drill on July 27th, Pickett injured his hamstring. Just like that, the quarterback who had seemed to pull ahead in the race found himself sidelined – at least temporarily. And now, the word on the street is that somebody is getting cut. 

Whispers had already been swirling around the Browns’ camp. Pickett’s injury, however minor, created a vacuum in reps. Was Pickett’s injury the opening that Shedeur needed to climb the ladder? On paper, it should have been. Yet the coaching staff did not exactly rush to bump Shedeur Sanders up the order. One insider had described the vibe in the Browns camp as less ‘next man up’ and more ‘stay the course.’ Now there’s something much bigger that looms over the quarterback room. 

Recent rumors have suggested that the Browns are preparing to part ways with one of their four quarterbacks. And when you do the math, the odd man out becomes painfully obvious. So, let’s break it down. Joe Flacco is practically untouchable at this point. He’s 17 years deep in the league, has a Super Bowl ring, and saved the Browns’ season just the year before last. Even at his age, he looked better than Deshaun Watson down the stretch. He’s your Week 1 fallback. Simple. 

Dillon Gabriel? He has that third-round pick aura – enough promise and draft capital to earn a developmental leash. Sure, he’s undersized and still raw, but his fast processing and clean mechanics have kept him in the coaches’ good graces. And then there’s Shedeur Sanders.

With Shedeur, it gets messy. He oozes potential and has been logging extra reps in post-practice – showing hunger and commitment. But his 3-for-8 passing in team drills did not help his case, especially when Flacco and Gabriel both looked sharp. Add in the fact that Shedeur Sanders hasn’t taken many first-team snaps, and it’s clear he’s still seen as a work-in-progress. Is he ready to face the Ravens in Week 2? Not yet. Not by a long shot. That doesn’t mean he won’t get there. But right now, he’s a project, not a plug-and-play solution. 

Then what about Kenny Pickett? The injury complicates things. Before tweaking his hamstring, he strung together some of his best practices of camp. He was clearly gaining momentum. Now, Pickett is unavailable for practice. So, where does this leave us? The Browns’ head coach had some answers. 

Stefanski shares more updates on Kenny Pickett’s injury

After the practice where Pickett got hurt, head coach Kevin Stefanski faced a barrage of questions. What exactly happened? How bad is it? When will Pickett return? “It happened at the end of practice there a couple days ago. Felt something. So, we’ll just treat it”, Stefanski explained. “But he’ll be fine. He’ll rehab, he’ll get back out very quickly.”

When pushed for a recovery timeline, Stefanski kept it vague: “I don’t have a timeline. You know, with something like this, we’ll see how it goes. But his mindset, my mindset, will just go day to day.” He confirmed Pickett underwent an MRI, but declined to “get into specifics.” Stefanski did, however, confirm one important thing – Pickett will miss a few days. And reps that would’ve gone to him? They’re now being redistributed. 

“Yeah, obviously everybody will get a little bit more,” Stefanski said, referring to Flacco, Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders. They have to distribute those reps. Sounds like an open door, right? But Stefanski’s tone didn’t exactly scream Shedeur’s time has arrived. Instead, he emphasized Pickett’s progress and praised his four-day stretch prior to the injury. “He can really run,” Stefanski added. “We’ll make sure he heals up nice and fast.” So, what now?

The Browns must soon decide who will make the cut. And with Flacco locked in, Gabriel promising, and Pickett hurt but experienced – it feels like Shedeur Sanders is the one standing on shaky ground. Can he change the narrative in the next few practices? Will the Browns give him a fair shot to seize this moment? Training camp always delivers surprises – but for Shedeur, it’s now or never.