The Cleveland Browns are reportedly a team to watch on the quarterback trade front after drafting Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.
After using the No. 94 selection on Gabriel, the Browns surprised many by drafting Sanders in round five at No. 144 overall. Sanders’ stunning draft slide was the biggest story of the 2025 NFL Draft, as he was widely expected to be an early first-round pick.
Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel join a crowded Browns quarterback depth chart featuring Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Deshaun Watson. The latter is expected to miss significant time, and potentially all of 2025 after re-tearing his Achilles in January.
According to a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Browns could trade a quarterback if injuries at the position “happen across the league.” Fowler suggested that the Browns may be keen on recouping a pick after drafting Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders:
“Keep this in mind about the Browns’ now-crowded quarterback room: The Browns look at the roster through the prism of value and currency, which at least one source pointed out could lead to an eventual trade if injuries happen across the league. Cleveland gave up a third-rounder and two fifth-rounders for Gabriel, Sanders and veteran Kenny Pickett (via trade with Philadelphia). Perhaps the Browns can get a pick back for one of them.”
The Browns brought back Flacco on a one-year deal in free agency and acquired Pickett from the Philadelphia Eagles for a fifth-round pick. Flacco won 2023 Comeback Player of the Year Award honors after leading the Browns to the postseason, but they curiously let him leave in free agency.
Flacco signed a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts and made six starts, though he could not perform the same magic we saw in Cleveland. Pickett won a Super Bowl 59 ring as Jalen Hurts.
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Shedeur Sanders Can Very Well Win Browns’ QB1 Job
Shedeur Sanders may have been a fifth-round draft pick, but don’t rule out his ability to emerge as the starting quarterback. Flacco is a 40-year-old journeyman, and Pickett never proved himself as a capable starting QB in Pittsburgh.
Most scouts and analysts believe Sanders has better potential than Gabriel, too, so it’s not out of the question for the Colorado product to win the starting QB1 job in Cleveland.
