Browns Define Their Quarterback Roster for the Season
Berea, Ohio – The Cleveland Browns have reduced their quarterback group and defined their backup.
After trading Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders and releasing Tyler Huntley, the Browns will start the regular season with three quarterbacks: Joe Flacco as the starter and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Tuesday that Gabriel, selected in the third round of the draft, will begin the season as Flacco’s backup.
Former starting quarterback Deshaun Watson was placed on the physically unable to perform list. He will miss the first four games of the season while continuing to recover from an Achilles tendon injury, which is expected to keep him out for most of the season.
Cleveland seemed poised to keep the four quarterbacks competing for the starting position, until they traded Pickett on Monday for a 2026 fifth-round pick.
Sanders, a 2025 fifth-round selection who spent all of training camp as the fourth quarterback on the depth chart, appears poised to be the team’s third QB.
