With Deshaun Watson damaging his Achilles, the Cleveland Browns’ QB room looked directionless a few months back. But as the 2025 NFL Draft rolled around, HC Kevin Stefanski had a whole different problem. Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel. Four elite quarterbacks, all waiting to earn that prized position. While the Browns’ HC is yet to confirm who he would start under center, Pickett remains the favorite to become the QB1. “I’m really excited about what Kenny brings to the team,” Stefanski told reporters two days back. “He’s a guy that works extremely hard at his craft. I love the way he thinks about the game.”

Cleveland insider Mary Kay Cabot also confirmed that the former Eagles QB is “for all intents and purposes, in the lead” to start over Flacco, Gabriel, and Sanders during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show on May 29. So, the message in Cleveland is loud and clear, with Watson not even a part of the QB conversation. However, if the recent updates are anything, the Browns’ head coach needs to be worried because the guy whom Browns owner Jimmy Haslam had called a “swing and miss” not so long ago has been quietly carving out a comeback after tearing his Achilles.

Just recently, Watson showed up and threw passes to Jerry Jeudy and David Bell. Even insider Tony Grossi had hinted at a November return for Watson for this season. “The speediest a decision could be made on Watson would be in late October. If Watson isn’t cleared to practise until, say, the sixth week of the season, his three-week window would take him into November to decide his roster status.” And now, Deshaun Watson himself has decided to put the Browns’ QB room on notice.

Deshaun Watson recently took to his Instagram to share a story. It wasn’t just any story, though. It was the QB throwing balls with his personal QB coach, Quincy Avery. Feet planted firmly on the ground, throwing swings that had Avery saying “You’re gonna be perfect.”, Watson looked almost ready for action. Watson is on a mission of “Mastering the details!”, and he has a few words of caution for the 4 QBs who thought they had it all for themselves. “Getting back in the fold!” Watson wrote on his Instagram story.

Now, if Watson does return to the QB room ready for action, it will still be some time before the decision comes. As Tony Grossi had put it, “Once cleared to practise, there is a three-week window in which he would be cleared to play or remain on PUP the rest of the year.” But that’s a decision the team will have to make, nonetheless.

5 potential QBs will now be lining up in the locker room. And with this, Kevin Stefanski’s choice for QB1 will certainly become harder than ever. Flacco, Pickett, Gabriel, Sanders, and now Watson. Who’s it going to be? A good headache to have for HC Stefanski, perhaps. But that’s not really the end of headaches for the HC. For instance, Joe Flacco has added more reasons to worry for the whole team going forward.

Joe Flacco’s decision on the Browns’ developmental projects

Joe Flacco is entering the 18th year of his NFL career. And if there’s one thing he’s made clear, it’s that he wants to play football. But does he want to be a mentor for the rookies following his movements with notepads in their hands? That’s the question he was asked in the OTA presser recently. And Flacco took the chance to call out the reporters and made his stance crystal clear on the matter. Flacco said, “It’s a good question to bait somebody into answering, and no matter how they answer it, it kind of makes the guy that’s answering it look bad. – If I say I don’t want to be a mentor, I look bad. If I say I do want to be a mentor, then I look like an idiot who doesn’t care about being good at playing football.” But he wasn’t done by a long shot.

The truth bombs continued from the veteran QB like they were touchdown passes. Joe Flacco further added, “I tend to try to be honest. And I’ve said, I’m not a mentor. I play football. In the quarterback room, there’s been already a ton of times where there’s learning experiences, and I have a lot of experience and I can talk on things. And hopefully they listen. But it’s not necessarily my job to make sure they listen to me.. The best way to be a mentor, honestly, is show people how you go to work, and hope that they pick up on that stuff.”

With his candid take, Joe Flacco has made it clear he’s not here to teach, he’s here to win games. If the younger guys want to learn from him, they’ll watch him make the plays and keep taking notes. As the QB1 competition continues to heat up for the Browns, Flacco isn’t planning on stepping aside. Even if all 5 QBs are back in action, Flacco will only lead by example, not through lessons taught.