CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 In this week\u2019s edition of Hey, Mary Kay! I answer questions about Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and the Browns quarterback competition. Some of the questions came from our Football Subscriber Insiders. To become one, click the blue banner at the top of the cleveland.com\/Browns page. Thanks so much!<\/p>\n
Hey, Mary Kay: <\/p>\n
How is this a quarterback competition, when not all of the quarterbacks are getting at least some reps with the ones? I understand a depth chart, but you cannot tell us it\u2019s an open competition when your rotation states otherwise. \u2014 Marvin Descott, Cleveland, Ohio <\/p>\n
Hey, Marvin: The Browns maximized the reps of the four quarterbacks during organized team activities and minicamp by \u201ctwo-spotting\u201d or running two sets of modified 7-on-7s simultaneously. They did a great job for the most part of leveling the playing field, except for getting Shedeur Sanders some reps with and against the ones. But Sanders did such a great job with the reps he got, he earned more 11-on-11s and some time with the starters in training camp. What\u2019s more, he and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel will likely get the bulk of the snaps in the preseason games, considering that the Browns will conduct joint practices before their first two, against Carolina and Philadelphia. There will be enough quality work to go around that the competition will be fair, and the Browns should have a good idea who their starter is by the end of Philly joint sessions in mid-August. <\/p>\n
Hey, Mary Kay: <\/p>\n
Why does it seem like Browns GM Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski will do everything in their power to play Dillon Gabriel first, give him the most reps, give him the best chance to succeed, just to prove to everyone that they made the right decision drafting him ahead of Shedeur Sanders? Because I feel like Sanders will not have the best chance to succeed due to the egos of them both. \u2014 Jonathan Andino, Cleveland, Ohio <\/p>\n
Hey, Jonathan: Berry and Stefanski aren\u2019t big-ego guys by any stretch, and would never make football decisions to prove themselves right. They\u2019ll start whoever gives them the best chance to win, even if fans and media don\u2019t agree. As for giving Gabriel more first-team reps and some 11-on-11s in OTAs and minicamp, it\u2019s because Gabriel arrived ready to handle everything a quarterback has on his plate, from pre-snap protocol to finishing the play. His excellent processing speed was evident to teams during pre-draft meetings, with one source saying he interviewed as well as anyone in the class. <\/p>\n
But Sanders came on strong over the past two weeks of spring ball, and can narrow the gap on Gabriel in camp if he studies hard, which one of his mentors in Tom Brady urged him to do. If Sanders, currently the fourth team QB, deserves to move ahead of Gabriel in camp, the Browns won\u2019t hesitate to promote him. <\/p>\n
Hey, Mary Kay: <\/p>\n
Can you describe what you\u2019ve seen in regards to the difference in enthusiasm of the team depending on what quarterback is throwing? \u2014 Richard Reisner, North Ridgeville, Ohio <\/p>\n
Hey, Rich: I\u2019ve seen no difference yet in terms of enthusiasm for a particular quarterback, because we\u2019ve had too small a sample size so far in the case of two of them. For starters, Joe Flacco, who will look excellent in training camp based on his knowledge of the system and personnel, didn\u2019t get many team reps in minicamp because the others need them more. Shedeur Sanders also didn\u2019t get many 11-on-11s and didn\u2019t work with the starters because he served as the fourth-team quarterback in OTAs and minicamp. The two players who got the bulk of the work in 11-on-11s and with the starters were Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel. Furthermore, receivers Cedric Tillman and Michael Woods II missed the first two days of minicamp with injuries, and the Browns threw a lot to the undrafted rookies. The real chemistry will form during training camp when the quarterbacks find their go-to guys and the alliances become clear. <\/p>\n
Hey Mary Kay: I know that we\u2019ve been expecting this all offseason, but I am still devastated by the loss of Nick Chubb. Do you have any favorite Nick Chubb moments on or off the field that you can share with us in these trying times? Thanks! Evan from Boston<\/p>\n
Hey, Evan: Some of my favorite things about Nick Chubb were the off-the-field things that people didn\u2019t always see. I loved his friendship with Kareem Hunt and how they uplifted and supported each other. Hunt made Chubb laugh and smile, and he needed that. I loved that Chubb asked to be part of the Thursday Night playoff-clinching game against the Jets in 2023, and how he set the tone by smashing the guitar as Dawg Pound captain in his Batman mask. <\/p>\n
I admired the fact that he genuinely wanted to finish his career with the Browns and never asked to be traded. He remained fiercely loyal to close friends such as Baker Mayfield. I also loved how he gave back to his alma mater Cedartown High School every year, and never forgot where he came from. I also enjoyed watching him squat 600 pounds there and coax greatness out of his body. Finding that extra gear in the fourth quarter was always amazing to witness. <\/p>\n
Hey Mary Kay:<\/p>\n
In balancing playoff contention with learning what the Browns have in Gabriel and Saunders prior to next year\u2019s draft, when the Browns have two first-round choices, what would and should the Browns do in the hypothetical that Joe Flacco (or Kenny Pickett) is playing well, and had led the Browns to a 5-3 record at the bye week? – Karloso, Plymouth, MA<\/p>\n
Hey, Karloso: The Browns are committed to winning as many games as possible and trying to make the playoffs. In the event they\u2019re 5-3 at the midpoint following a grueling early first half of the season, they\u2019ll continue to play the quarterback that got them there \u2014 or the one who gives them the best chance to win down the stretch \u2014 and try to make a second-half run. They won\u2019t turn it over to one of the rookies just to help them decide their 2026 draft strategy. If they\u2019re in the hunt, they\u2019ll try make the postseason however they can. The rookies will only play if they give the Browns a better chance to win in that scenario, or if they\u2019re eliminated from playoff contention. <\/p>\n
Hey, Mary Kay: <\/p>\n
I\u2019m confused by the sportswriters\u2019 analysis and sometimes contradictory statements about Shedeur Sanders. Several writers say that he is a first round talent but that he was a fifth round draft choice and will not receive the training camp reps of a first round pick. If the Browns thought he was a first round talent, but didn\u2019t select him early in the draft because of the baggage associated with him (his father, interviews, etc.), wouldn\u2019t they now give him the same opportunity that a first round pick would have? I think it means they had a very low grade on him. \u2014 Mike Parker, Chester, Md.<\/p>\n
Hey, Mike: I can understand how fans would be confused by the conflicting reports coming out of organized team activities and minicamp. Some of those reports come from people who were not there, and are going by hearsay. Here\u2019s the bottom line: Sanders had a long way to go when he showed up here in terms of learning how to run a pro style offense (mostly pre-snap operations) and still does. It\u2019s why he\u2019s been the fourth-team quarterback. But he\u2019s coming up the learning curve quickly, and really came on strong in the last two weeks OTAs and minicamp. <\/p>\n
His excellent performance, albeit not with the starters yet, earned him some time with the ones in training camp, and he\u2019ll have fair a shot to see if he can win the starting job. Now it\u2019s up to him to prove everyone wrong who passed on him. If he continues to progress at his current clip, he\u2019ll stay in the starting conversation deep into camp. It won\u2019t be easy, but he has a chance. <\/p>\n
Hey Mary Kay: <\/p>\n
Is there any chance the Browns work something out with Nick Chubb down the road \u2014 even if it\u2019s just a ceremonial one-day contract? He deserves to retire in brown and orange. — ARob, Des Moines, Iowa<\/p>\n
Hey, ARob: Yes, there\u2019s definitely a chance the Browns will work something out with Nick Chubb down the road even if he signs just to retire as a Brown. I absolutely think this should and will happen. Based on Chubb\u2019s heartfelt thank you to Browns fans, I truly believe he\u2019ll be open to it and will want it as much as the Browns and their fans do. It\u2019s not that the Browns didn\u2019t want him on the team this season. It\u2019s that they didn\u2019t want to bring him back as the fourth-string running back and then not have many reps for him. He deserves a chance to play, and now he has that in Houston. But it can\u2019t end this way. He needs to retire as a Browns when he\u2019s ready, and then go into their Ring of Honor. <\/p>\n