The Cleveland Browns have given little indication about who is going to win their four-man quarterback competition between Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders as training camp has recently gotten underway.
The team is playing things close to the chest, which is the right move for such a delicate situation, though one former player recently sent a big warning to Pickett and Flacco about the short leash they could have.
On a recent episode podcast episode, former star cornerback Asante Samuel said that people want to see Shedeur Sanders play, and if Pickett or Flacco starts and doesn’t perform well, the stadium could turn on them quickly.
“People want to see him play. Imagine the stadium booing Flacco & Pickett because they want #12. If they don’t produce, you can guarantee fans will start chanting we want Shedeur,” Samuel said.
🔥 Shedeur. Cleveland Fans Believe
“Welcome to the city man. Appreciate the event. Turn us up bro”
📽️ @ShedeurSanders https://t.co/O2dyu3Pdoy pic.twitter.com/XLxUP50h7N
— JaKi 🇺🇸 (@JaKiTruth) July 16, 2025
It’s entirely possible this could happen because the Browns have a brutal early-season schedule, and it’s likely that the front office and coaching staff have planned on getting a look at all four quarterbacks at some point anyway.
It’s important for the Browns to figure out if they have their franchise quarterback on the roster ahead of the 2026 draft, where the team has a pair of first-round picks in a loaded QB class.
The problem with this notion is that the early momentum to get Shedeur on the field is so strong that it comes across like everyone in the media has completely forgotten the fact that Dillon Gabriel exists.
Gabriel was drafted two rounds ahead of Sanders and is ahead of him on the depth chart, so for now, he is beating him in his quest to be this team’s franchise quarterback.
It’s fair to be excited about Sanders, but fans should be getting excited about Gabriel, too.
