The question isn’t how Joe Flacco won the Cleveland Browns’ starting job, but rather how long can he keep it?

Hopefully, and this is no slight against Flacco, this is only temporary.

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski stressed this week that Flacco won the job with his strong summer, but the reality is he also won it by default. I don’t know if a world exists where the Browns were going to throw a rookie quarterback out there for Week 1, and Kenny Pickett has missed most of camp with a hamstring injury. That made Flacco the last man standing.

There isn’t much upside to playing Flacco for very long this season. I was confused when the Browns signed him only because playing a 40-year-old quarterback on a team that doesn’t have realistic playoff aspirations feels like a waste of time — and that was before they drafted a couple of rookie quarterbacks.

(Maybe later we can examine that the AFC North has the two oldest quarterbacks in the league and the disparate views between the two. The Pittsburgh Steelers believe Aaron Rodgers will take them to the playoffs because the Steelers always make the playoffs. The Browns seem to be using Flacco to bide time until someone else is ready, and their projected win total is among the lowest in the league, according to Vegas oddsmakers.)

By trading down in Round 1 and acquiring a future first-round pick, the Browns told you their executives and coaches aren’t fearful of being fired and that their long-term solution at quarterback is coming in next year’s draft. However, 17 games is a long bridge to cross between now and then.

I still believe Pickett would have won the starting job outright had he been healthy, and once his hamstring heals completely, he’ll still likely get a turn on the carousel. Until the Browns find their franchise quarterback, nothing else matters. That makes every snap Flacco takes this season counterproductive. Pickett quite likely is not the long-term solution, either. At 27, he at least makes a little more sense than Flacco.

By the time we get to December, I hope that either Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders has the most starts of anyone on the roster. That may not be fair to a pair of quarterbacks drafted in the third and fifth rounds, when sitting and watching might be best for their development, but life isn’t always fair.

Suppose the Browns have convinced themselves their quarterback is coming next year. In that case, it’s on Gabriel or Sanders to provide them with overwhelming evidence over the next four months that the solution to their 25-year riddle at quarterback is right in front of them.

It’s clear by now that the Browns trust Gabriel more than they do Sanders. The division of practice reps is the most unambiguous indication, but it even shines through in what each has been asked to do in limited preseason opportunities.

Now for the standard disclaimers: This is based on only one preseason game for each of them and isn’t necessarily indicative of long-term results. Nevertheless, the difference in structure Stefanski built around both Gabriel and Sanders is fascinating.

The Browns used pre-snap motion 45 percent of the time with Gabriel against the Philadelphia Eagles; they used it 31 percent of the time in Sanders’ game against the Carolina Panthers, according to TruMedia data.

On third downs, that increased to 63 percent for Gabriel and plummeted to 18 percent for Sanders.

Gabriel also did a better job of throwing into realistic NFL windows that quarterbacks usually see on Sundays. NextGen Stats defines tight-window throws as attempts to targets with less than a yard of separation from the nearest defender when the pass arrives.

Gabriel was 3 of 4 on those throws against the Eagles, according to NextGen Stats, and two of those turned third downs into first downs. Sanders was 0 for 4 on tight-window throws against the Panthers. Gabriel’s interception last weekend was a rookie making a bad play worse. The targets on the route were not where they were supposed to be, but things are going to go wrong for quarterbacks, particularly those on a bad team with limited offensive weapons. Gabriel compounded the problem with the throw. It’s a teaching moment.

None of this is to imply that Gabriel will have a more successful NFL career than Sanders, but it illustrates why the Browns favor Gabriel at this point — they trust him more and believe he can handle more within an NFL offense.

Will Sanders ever get there? His opportunities are about to become extremely limited. His oblique injury has prevented him from returning to practice this week, and it seems unlikely he’ll be ready to play in Saturday’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams. After that, it’s time to begin preparing for the regular season and get the starters ready. That means more snaps for Flacco as the starter and likely Gabriel as the backup until Pickett is ready.

Sanders remains fourth on the depth chart. If the Browns indeed carry four quarterbacks, where will Sanders get reps once Pickett is healthy? If he’s on the 53-man roster, he may have to serve as a de facto practice squad quarterback for the time being.

All of which begs the question: Why keep him at all? I wasn’t opposed to the Browns taking two quarterbacks, but opening the door and welcoming such a high-profile quarterback like Sanders after selecting the quarterback the head coach wanted seems to have created unnecessary noise around Gabriel.

It has led to silly debates, such as whether Gabriel was taking a shot at Sanders with his in-game remarks about entertainers and competitors, when 10 seconds of context makes it clear it had nothing to do with Sanders.

Here's the question leading up to it for proper context…

Browns QB Dillon Gabriel was asked by Aditi Kinkhabwala, "You gave us some fabulous wisdom on how you tune out the noise and you don't let it infiltrate yourself; will you share that with everybody at home?" #NFL https://t.co/saZD2XxgDY pic.twitter.com/XhCSlaDWlu

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 16, 2025

Why would the sideline reporter — in this case, CBS’ excellent Aditi Kinkhabwala — set him up to take a swipe at a teammate? It’s nonsensical.

However, the Browns exposed Gabriel to this type of never-ending noise when they brought Sanders here.

Since Gabriel remains the preferred choice of the head coach after OTAs, minicamps and training camp, and the Browns are intent on taking another quarterback in the first round next year, why keep Sanders? It’s just clouding the airspace and limiting the reps for everyone.

Of course, the answer is a fear that Sanders may develop elsewhere, which is entirely possible. Sanders has shown enough in limited opportunities to make you believe there’s more in there. Baker Mayfield has developed into a good NFL quarterback since leaving Cleveland. If the same happened with Sanders, it would be an awful look for those who let him walk.

If Sanders spends the next few months making gains in the film room and learning to process a complex offense, the payoff could be substantial. However, another college quarterback class is about to form, and time is not on Sanders’ side. He remains in purgatory — enough potential to make you want to see more, but not enough reps to get there.