The deadline for NFL teams to trim their rosters from 90 all the way down to 53 is the end of business on Tuesday. It means the end of the line for many NFL hopefuls, especially rookies. This is especially true for the Cleveland Browns, who are heading into the deadline with an almost impossible decision to make at the quarterback position involving rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
The Browns quarterback depth chart currently looks like this.
Starter – Joe Flacco
Backup – Kenny Pickett
Third team – Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders, Tyler Huntley, Deshaun Watson
With Flacco squarely entrenched as the starter, it really leaves other five quarterbacks on the roster vying for two (possibly three) spots.
As far as the rookies go, it’s basically a dead heat between Sanders and Gabriel. Both guys have looked sharp at times in training camp and the preseason and others very much like rookies. The Browns selected Gabriel in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft. Then, inexplicably, Cleveland turned around and selected Sanders in the fifth round of the same draft.
Sanders is a lightning rod for the media and NFL fans. Releasing him would be a PR nightmare for the Browns, bringing down tons of undeserved criticism. Meanwhile, they have more invested in Gabriel, and he’s been just as good.
So what do they do? Well, after Flacco, here’s the breakdown. It feels like Kenny Pickett’s days are numbered regardless. He’s been injured and no one would bat an eye if they released him. But then there’s Deshaun Watson. He is impossible to release. If the Browns do it, they would incur an astronomical $81.97 million in dead money. He’s not going anywhere.
So if Flacco and Watson are locks, do the Browns eat up a roster spot and keep Sanders and Gabriel? If so, who is the No. 2 quarterback during the season? At this point, carrying four quarterbacks really is the only safe option even if it dings them on special teams.