Ahead of every NFL season, most teams keep their quarterback depth chart to a tidy three names. But in Cleveland, Kevin Stefanski and the Browns have taken a different approach. They’re carrying four quarterbacks into training camp, each with a distinct profile and a case to make. As the 2025 season draws closer, it’s almost inconceivable that all four will survive final roster cuts. The reality is simple: at least one of them will be elsewhere by Week 1.

According to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, the Browns are highly unlikely to part ways with either of their rookie passers, Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel. That narrows the focus to the veterans: Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett—two players whose careers have taken very different paths, but now find themselves locked in the same competition. Whoever claims the starting job will have a new lease on life as QB1. Whoever loses will be searching for another opportunity.

And that’s where the Browns insider, Nathan Zegura, comes in. Zegura recently sat down on 92.3 The Fan, where he was asked which quarterback the Browns will trade. And which quarterback will bring the most in return? His response? It’s Kenny Pickett. “Probably, at this point, Kenny Pickett, just because he is a former first-rounder and he is young and he started, you know, he’s 15 and 10 as a starter. So, that would be one,” Zegura explained. 

That’s understandable. But let’s be honest—this late in the offseason, it all comes down to which team is desperate enough to need another quarterback. But according to Zegura, the Saints might be the one. Why? Well, if things don’t work out with Tyler Shough in New Orleans, Kellen Moore might want Pickett to come down there and start in week 1. “It would be interesting if, for example, you know, maybe down in New Orleans, where Kellen Moore was just with him in Philly,” the Browns insider added.

“If he said, you know, I’d like to, it’s not working out with Tyler Shough, maybe we need to bring him (Pickett) down here to be kind of the starter.” The Saints were never a quarterback-needy team until Derek Carr, surprisingly enough, announced that he doesn’t want to play anymore, not just with the Saints, but in the NFL. And suddenly, Tyler Shough, whom the Saints drafted in the second round of this year’s draft, emerged as the top contender for the starting role.

But the job wasn’t easy for Shough as well. The quarterback has seven years of college football experience, no doubt. And he indeed had a standout season in Louisville, where he recorded over 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns. But the head coach, Kellen Moore, laid out the starting job plan plainly and simply: Shough, along with Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener, would compete for the starting role. But then again, Rattler had started only six games with a terrible record of 0-6.

Haener, on the other hand, is entering the third season of his career, but he’s yet to play a whole NFL season. So, at the end of the day, Moore and Co. will always be desperate for a veteran quarterback to lead them. That doesn’t confirm they’re going to trade for Pickett. But if the head coach gets an opportunity to bring in a vet ahead of the 2025 season? Then count Kenny Pickett in line. Will he? Won’t he? It’s a mystery for now. But it can be a possibility in a while.

Tyler Shough won’t be shaken if he plays poorly

The college football journeyman, Tyler Shough, will turn 26 when his rookie season kicks off. But he isn’t your typical rookie. The former Louisville QB served as a backup to Justin Herbert before getting a starting role at Oregon. Then, he transferred to Texas Tech, only to remain sidelined for the next three years due to injuries. Fast forward to 2024, and Shough finally had a full season as a starter. And that led the Saints to draft him in the second round.

But considering he’s entering the NFL with seven years of college experience, it’s no surprise all eyes will be on whether he earns the starting job for the Saints. The kicker? He’s already made it clear that even if he gets off to a rough start, he won’t be rattled. “I’ve been carted off the field, I’ve been booed, I’ve been an MVP… throw some s— at me, you’re not going to faze me if we start off 0-2 or I f—— suck,” Shough recently said on the St. Brown Podcast.

At 6-foot-5 and 25 years old, Shough is already older than most rookies. He didn’t expect to be in the starting quarterback conversation for the Saints. But once Derek Carr hung up his cleats, suddenly everything changed. And now? Unlike any other rookie QB out there, Shough isn’t your typical rookie who is expected to develop behind a veteran. He is being thrown straight into the spotlight. To lead the Saints’ offense. And to give them results.

While folks out there are buzzing that Kellen Moore might trade for a veteran QB. But even if the Saints don’t trade, Tyler Shough is expected to start for them.