The Cleveland Browns are still about two months away from the start of training camp, and almost four months remain until the start of the 2025 season.

But that has not stopped the chatter around who will quarterback the team when the games matter. Did Shedeur Sanders gain the upper edge in rookie minicamp? Or does Dillon Gabriel hold the upper hand?

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Or does it all not matter since neither player has faced an NFL defense, let alone engaged in a competition with veteran quarterbacks Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, neither planning to go quietly into that good night.

We have that, key offseason moves, another draft pick signing his rookie contract, and more in today’s edition of the Saturday Dawg Chow.

Dawgs By Nature:

What Browns Shedeur Sanders, Baker Mayfield have in common: Former GM makes bold statement (Damon Wolfe) – Scot McCloughan, the former general manager of Washington and San Francisco, appeared on The Pacman Jones Show and was asked about his evaluation of Shedeur Sanders. McCloughan said he gave Sanders a first-round grade and followed it up with an emphatic endorsement.

5 offseason moves that have reshaped the Browns for 2025 (Barry Shuck) – The Cleveland Browns won just three games last year. With so few wins and a ton of losses, obviously, changes needed to be made going into the 2025 season. And not just one or two here and there, almost every position that overflowed into the coaching staff.

AFC North: Only the Ravens are drama-free and ready for the season (Jared Mueller) – The Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers seem set to compete for the basement, and only the Baltimore Ravens seem to be ready for the 2025 season.

Browns get another draft pick signed, 3 of 7 have deals done (Jared Mueller) – During rookie minicamp, the Cleveland Browns got contracts completed with LB Carson Schwesinger and RB Dylan Sampson, with the words “fully guaranteed” once again coming into play for the team. Now, with offseason activities in progress, TE Harold Fannin Jr. inked his deal.

Cleveland Browns:

Did Shedeur Sanders top Dillon Gabriel at rookie minicamp as they prepared to join the vets? (cleveland.com) – Did Shedeur Sanders really top Dillon Gabriel during the Browns’ recent three-day rookie minicamp as some observers suggested? Or did Gabriel win the camp as others insisted?

Schedule shows Browns must be ready early for tough tests (Browns Zone) – The Browns don’t know who their starting quarterback will be for Week 1, let alone the rest of the season. The regular-season opener Sept. 7 against the Bengals is about four months away, so there’s plenty of time for everything to change.

Canton native, third-round draft pick Harold Fannin Jr. signs rookie contract with Browns (Beacon Journal) – The Browns and another draft pick have come to an agreement on a deal. Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. has signed his rookie contract with the Browns, the team announced Friday, May 16. The deal, which is for $6.7 million, spans four years.

NFL:

Brock Purdy, 49ers agree to 5-year, $265M deal (ESPN) – From the moment Brock Purdy stepped in as their starter in 2022, the San Francisco 49ers have told anyone who would listen that he is not only their quarterback of the present but also their future. On Friday, the Niners put significant action behind those words, as they agreed to a five-year, $265 million deal that includes $181 million in overall guaranteed money with Purdy, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The NFL wants you to watch the Kansas City Chiefs (The Ringer) – The NFL sure sent an emphatic message as it unveiled the full 2025 season schedule on Wednesday: The Kansas City Chiefs are now America’s Team, and as long as Patrick Mahomes is under center, they’re the league’s most valuable broadcast commodity.

Caleb Williams wanted to avoid getting drafted by Bears, new book says (The Athletic) – Caleb Williams and his father sought to avoid Williams getting drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 2024 NFL Draft, ESPN’s Seth Wickersham details in a new book about quarterbacks, publishing in September.

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