Browns Would Consider Having Four Quarterbacks on the Roster for Week 1
CLEVELAND – The Browns could start the NFL season with four quarterbacks on their 53-player roster. During Cleveland’s final preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday, Browns general manager Andrew Berry commented that keeping four quarterbacks — Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders — “is not a great decision.”At the end of July, Berry had already hinted that keeping four linebackers during the season was a possibility. “We’ve viewed the last five roster spots as development spots and that can come from any position,” Berry said. “I also think with the flexibility of the roster today, especially with the promotions you can have from the practice squad, there’s more flexibility in terms of how you build your 48-player roster for game day, where it may not be as restrictive as in the past. Now, that being said, when the roster rules were more, let’s say, draconian, there have been teams that have carried four. So, if there are four that are worthy of being on the 53-man roster, we feel it makes more sense for us to keep them.” On Monday, the Browns named Flacco their starting quarterback for Week 1. Coach Kevin Stefanski declined to name a backup for Flacco. Cleveland’s latest unofficial depth chart lists Pickett as the backup and Gabriel and Sanders as the third and fourth quarterbacks, respectively. Deshaun Watson is expected to start the season on the physically unable to perform list while he continues to rehabilitate an Achilles tendon injury. Tyler Huntley is also signed to the 90-player roster. Flacco made his preseason debut in the last game, completing 9 of 10 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown in three series. Gabriel, a third-round pick, played two series and completed 12 of 19 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown. Sanders, a fifth-round pick, started the second half. Pickett did not play on Saturday due to a persistent hamstring injury that has kept him out throughout the preseason. The NFL’s roster cut deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m.“Honestly, it’s not a great decision for us. We have a group that we like a lot,” Berry said. “We don’t see that as a problem. We see it more as an opportunity.”
Andrew Berry, Browns General Manager
