The Cleveland Browns have the attention of the entire NFL world as they start training camp with a wide open, four-man quarterback competition. Not only is the competition crowded, but it’s a unique group of quarterbacks. The Browns have 40-year-old Joe Flacco, former first-round pick Kenny Pickett, who’s on his third team since being drafted in 2022, rookie third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, who the team drafted much earlier than anyone expected him to go, and rookie Shedeur Sanders, who the Browns selected in the fifth round and a surprising and publicized slide.
Now, all four are expected to compete for the starting job. However, all four aren’t expected to make the regular-season roster. Carrying four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster would be even wilder than the current four-man competition. That’s why everyone expects one of these QBs to be moved during training camp. Some recent news could make that one step closer to happening.
On Monday, it was reported Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis is undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. The news opened the door for No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward to be the unquestioned starter, and it left Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle as his backups. If Tennessee wants to improve the quality of the quarterback room behind Ward, it could call Cleveland for one of its veterans.
Browns could send a veteran quarterback to Titans after Will Levis news
While it’s clear Cleveland will have to let one of their quarterbacks go, it’s too early to know which. However, it’s fair to assume it won’t be one of the rookie quarterbacks. The Browns will want to see their growth, and if they subject them to waivers by releasing them, they won’t have the opportunity to re-sign them to the practice squad. There are probably multiple teams ready to claim Sanders and Gabriel in a heartbeat.
That means Cleveland must decide between its two veterans. Everyone assumes Flacco has the upper hand over Pickett because of his experience in the system, and that would mean Pickett could be the odd man out. However, he’d also be the guy who would make the most sense for Tennessee. Pickett is capable of filling in as a starter, but has the adequate experience to be a veteran backup.
So after a couple of weeks of training camp, once the Browns start to define an order in their quarterback room, they could be shipping Pickett off to Tennessee. The move would help the Titans, and also the Browns, as they need to trim the quarterback room.
