Daniel Jeremiah Predicts Rookie QB from Browns Draft Class to Start Week 1 — Supercedes Flacco

The Cleveland Browns have a dilemma at quarterback, with four new free agency, draft and trade acquisitions looking to improve upon the NFL's 32nd-ranked scoring offense from 2024.

As the veterans in the position room, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett appear to have the early leg up over rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. However, NFL Scout and NFL Draft Insider Daniel Jeremiah believes that one of the two rookies will end up being the Browns' Week 1 starter.

During a Thursday episode of The Rich Eisen Show, Jeremiah told Eisen that he thinks Flacco is locked into the team's 53-man roster as a veteran mentor presence. That leaves Gabriel, Sanders and Pickett fighting for the last two roster spots, with the Browns unlikely to keep all four.

"Talent-wise, I think both those guys have a huge advantage over Kenny Pickett," Jeremiah said. "Kenny Pickett has to be light years better than each of them to make the team. To me, I think Joe Flacco is just in case they don't feel like they can be competent at the position, then you insert Joe. I think their Week 1 starter is going to be one of those two rookies. I really feel that way."

With a plethora of weaknesses across the roster, it's highly improbable that the Browns will be contending for a playoff berth this season. According to Jeremiah, that means one of the team's top priorities should be identifying whether the quarterback of the future is on Cleveland's roster.

"I think you have to learn this year," Jeremiah said. "They made that trade, so they've got some ammunition for next year. Next year at this time, they have to know what they have in those two rookies. They have to see them, and that's why, to me, I don't think you waste time... You have to evaluate these two kids that you just drafted, so before this next draft, you have some clarity of what you have on campus."

Thanks to a draft-day trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Browns have another first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The class could have several intriguing quarterback prospects like Texas' Arch Manning, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers and Penn State's Drew Allar, making it critical that the team figures out quickly if Gabriel or Sanders is Cleveland's long-term solution.