The Cleveland Browns have an interesting quarterback room as they enter the offseason.
General manager Andrew Berry selected two quarterbacks in this year’s NFL Draft, including Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round.
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That was after the team signed veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett.
And not even counting the rehabbing Deshaun Watson? Suffice it to say there should be plenty of competition for the starting job ahead of Week 1’s home opener against the rival Cincinnati Bengals.
The senior member of the Browns roster, offensive lineman Joel Bitonio, thinks having a full room of prospects is a good thing.
“I think to have two young guys that can develop and kind of battle and push, there’s really nothing wrong with it. I was there this last week, and I was around (Sanders),” said Bitonio. “He was in the meetings, both of them were. I actually talked to the rookies one day, tried to give them some advice on how to learn the playbook and stuff. It’s hard to tell in three days, but I think you can look at every Instagram, Twitter, everything the Browns do, it’s something about Shedeur Sanders.
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“I’ve met him just for a few days, and he seems like he’s ready to work. Just like all the rookies. It seems like a good rookie class. The guys are focused.”
Bitonio was selected by the Browns in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft and is the senior member of the locker room. He has a large voice on the team and it helps – the players and the organization – that he is on-board with the quarterback competition.
Bitonio has made the Pro Bowl for the past seven seasons and has been named First-Team All-Pro twice and Second-Team All-Pro three times.
It doesn’t hurt to have a guy like that on your side in the locker room.
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