“You don’t want to get comfortable. Because the minute you do, you’re getting replaced,” Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders said during minicamp, acknowledging the fierce competition ahead. Indeed, the 2025 Browns quarterback room has felt more like a gladiator’s ring: veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, alongside rookies Dillon Gabriel and Sanders, battling under head coach Kevin Stefanski’s watchful eye. Stefanski made it clear back in May, “We have four guys. That won’t be the case come Week 1,” setting off waves of trade speculation as fans and insiders braced for the inevitable cut.

Sanders hasn’t been passive in that fight. A fifth-round pick from Colorado, he’s shown up early and stayed late, work ethic that ex-NFLer LeSean McCoy praised, calling Sanders the “best player at rookie minicamp” on The Facility. Sanders also led all Browns QBs in OTAs, completing 77.3% of his passes with 9 touchdowns and one interception. Yet, despite the buzz, coaches have limited his reps to controlled 7-on-7 work, keeping him behind the veterans in team drills. With training camp approaching and the QB room still packed, the underlying question lingers: who will the Browns trade? And who finally earns stability?

92.3 The Fan took to YouTube with Daryl Ruiter and Nick Pedone breaking down the Browns’ crowded quarterback room and what it means for Shedeur Sanders’ immediate future. While the Browns have all four quarterbacks, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Sanders, heading into camp, Ruiter was clear. “I believe they’re going to start out with all four guys, but I don’t think that’s going to last very long.” The strategy? Test the market on Flacco and Pickett, while keeping the two rookies safe.

“Because basically what they have to do is call teams’ bluffs, right? If you try and trade one of these guys… Whether it is Pickett or Flacco… [Because] they are not going to trade Gabriel. They are not going to trade Sanders. So, your Shedeur Sanders number 12 jersey, I believe, will survive at minimum one year in Cleveland,” Ruiter concluded it. Yet, while Shedeur has captured fan intrigue, Dillon Gabriel remains a locker room favorite, especially in coach Kevin Stefanski’s eyes.

Gabriel, selected two rounds earlier than Sanders, received heavier 11-on-11 workloads during minicamps and OTAs. A signal of Stefanski’s early trust. The competition doesn’t end with the rookies though. According to Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot, “Kenny Pickett still has a slight edge in terms of being No. 1 on the depth chart heading into training camp.” Pickett, fresh off a Super Bowl ring with the Eagles, carries that credibility. If Pickett is QB1, the rookies will slot in behind him. With Flacco’s declining form in Indianapolis leaving his future uncertain. Still, don’t count Gabriel out for a real shot at starting snaps.

As Mary Kay noted, “His superpower in the competition is his computer-like processing speed and decision-making”. During spring practices, Gabriel looked sharp, going 48-of-83 with eight touchdowns across OTAs and minicamp. If he carries that composure into preseason games, Gabriel could easily leapfrog the veterans. Sanders, meanwhile, remains in the developmental track, but his position on the 53-man roster looks more secure by the day. A quiet victory in Cleveland’s otherwise turbulent quarterback shuffle.

Shedeur Sanders isn’t here to ride the bench

Despite all the depth chart noise and trade rumors swirling, Shedeur Sanders is making it clear. He’s not just here to fill a jersey. Ahead of Browns training camp, Sanders dropped a sharp highlight video featuring weight room sessions, field drills, and a bold voiceover that declared, “You know, no excuses. I’ll put in the work and do what I have to do. Bout to be time to be legendary, whenever that time is.” That mindset has stuck. The fifth-rounder may have entered the league with a chip on his shoulder. But he’s already showing Cleveland he’s planning to play the long game… Underdog label or not.

Inside the walls of CrossCountry Mortgage Campus, Sanders’ grind hasn’t gone unnoticed. Head coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t hesitate when he called Sanders “a very, very hard worker.” He even applauded his relentless dedication to early mornings, late nights, and mastering the playbook. That work ethic even drew comparisons from LeSean McCoy. He said back in May that Sanders’ approach echoes the habits of a young Tom Brady…. “Always first in, last out.” It’s a striking compliment for a rookie who, despite his fifth-round selection, carries the pedigree of his father, Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, and the self-driven hunger to chart his own path.

Sanders himself summed it up during minicamp: “Life is just based on how you view different things… there’s no excuses because when you get out there, nobody cares how many reps you got… Everybody cares about production.” He’s made the most of his limited reps behind veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, and his steady progress is turning heads within the organization. With training camp nearing and competition tightening, Sanders isn’t settling for a clipboard role. He’s pushing to make a real claim in Cleveland’s quarterback competition.