Despite being more than a month into their offseason quarterback competition, the Cleveland Browns are seemingly no closer to figuring out who is going to be their starter for Week 1 of the 2025 regular season. Veteran Joe Flacco and former Pittsburgh Steeler, Kenny Pickett, were reported to be the front runners heading into the first weekend of training camp, but a subsequent hamstring injury has since rendered Pickett inactive, leaving many to believe that Flacco is once again the lead horse in the race.
The 17-year veteran has been more than welcoming of the competition and presence of the Browns’ young QB group, but he’s also been clear that he has no intentions of being a backup. Now, during his most recent interview on CBS Sports, he’s once again reminding both the press and Browns’ front office of exactly why he’s in Cleveland.
“I still feel like I do have a lot to bring and I’m still doing this because I want to do that. I want to bring a lot to a football team. I want to win football games. I want to prove it, that I can still do it, and it’s very important to me. Like I said, I don’t want to be a backup. I haven’t wanted to do that for the last four or five years or however long it’s been. I want to play football.”
For better or worse, the former Baltimore Raven has just a few more weeks to push his case. Minority owners have voiced their support of him, and he’s remained in the conversation throughout the entire offseason, but at the end of it all, Flacco will have to convince the coaching staff that his experience gives them the best odds of winning on Sundays.
Despite both Pickett and Flacco receiving those favorable reports throughout the weekend, it ultimately proved to be the former Colorado Buffalo who would stand out on Day 7 of the team’s training camp.
It may also be worth noting that Flacco saw the same amount of reps as Sanders, while the team’s 94th overall draft pick, Dillon Gabriel, seemed to be the primary beneficiary of Pickett’s absence by picking up those few extra reps.
Seeing as the Oklahoma product failed to make the most of the opportunity by finishing last in completions and going scoreless on the day, it’s worth pondering as to whether or not Gabriel has left the backdoor open for Sanders to come in and snake the QB2 spot on the depth chart.
Should the 2024 Golden Arm winner manage to string a few more of these performances together, then he may finally be able to snag some more of those coveted first-team reps, at which point, Sanders would find himself fully in control of his own destiny.
-1753193374-q80.webp "What is one burning question for the New Orleans Saints at each position on defense?")
-1751646819-q80.webp "49ers Stalwart May Be in for ‘Sizable Raise’ After 2025 Season")
-1751335803-q80.webp "Penguins Name Full Roster For 2025 Prospect Development Camp")
