Opinion: Who will start at QB for the Browns this upcoming season?

Heading into the 2025 season the Cleveland Browns have five quarterbacks competing for a starting spot.

The competition will consist of two veterans in Joe Flacco and Deshaun Watson, two rookies with Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders just being drafted and Kenny Pickett who has played three years but struggled during that span.

With so many options to choose from, here is a look at what each player brings to the table.

Watson, who would be the favorite for the position, looks to be sidelined for 2025 as he recovers from an achilles injury that took place last season. The team acquired him in 2022 to be the franchise quarterback, a trade that has not worked out for the team.

He was a star quarterback in the past during his time with the Houston Texans, but since coming to Cleveland has yet to find his footing, playing no more than seven games in a season during his first three years with the Browns.

The Watson experiment may have run its course, as the team drafted two quarterbacks in the draft as they build for the future.

The first quarterback taken by the Browns in the 2025 draft was Gabriel in the third round. Coming out of Oregon, he had a strong senior year before declaring for the draft, having 3,857 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns to only six interceptions.

Gabriel and the Ducks would go on to win the Big Ten Championship over Penn State but fall short of the National Championship game, losing big to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

The other rookie quarterback for Cleveland this upcoming season is Sanders, who came into the draft expecting to go in the first round but fell all the way to the fifth.

Despite this, he had solid numbers during his final season at Colorado, having 4,134 passing yards and 37 passing touchdowns to 10 interceptions.

The Buffaloes as a whole fell short unfortunately, not making the conference championship and losing their bowl game to BYU.

Between these two rookies, it is hard to tell who would be first in line for a starting role. At least for the 2025 season, it is more likely the team goes with one of the more experienced options rather than throwing someone inexperienced into the fire.

Pickett has seen regular time as a starter in the league with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played in 25 games for the team that drafted him before being shipped to the Eagles where he served as the backup to Jalen Hurts.

During his time as a starter, he struggled, having 4,474 passing yards with only 13 passing touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

With Pickett not having the greatest track record, that leaves only one man for the Browns to make their starter.

The most probable person to win the job would surprisingly be Flacco, a former Super Bowl MVP and Champion. He has been with the team before and even brought them to the playoffs during his short stint with the team in 2023.

The 40 year old quarterback could find himself as the starter for Cleveland for the second time in his career with the current situation they have going on, which worked out for both parties last time.

With so many options, it is hard to know which direction the team will go in to start the season. It is likely that multiple of these guys listed will get a chance to play, but only time will tell who comes out as the true starter for the Browns moving forward.

Charles Wesolowski is a first-year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email cjw6772@psu.edu.