The Cleveland Browns already find themselves in a precarious position as they have four legitimate contenders the be the starting quarterback for the 2025 season. With two veterans and two rookies, everyone has their opinion, but Kevin Stefanski has continued to manage the situation day-to-day and is truly deep diving into the play of all four.
This situation is challenging enough as most teams only have two guys fighting for first team reps, and Stefanski is trying to get four guys enough snaps and evaluate talent. When you mix in the injuries that Kenny Pickett (hamstring), Dillon Gabriel (hamstring), and Shedeur Sanders (shoulder soreness) have had, it’s been difficult to get a good look at anyone but Joe Flacco.
Pickett was once again limited to 7-on-7 drills Monday, and it feels unlikely to see him in 11-on-11 vs. the Eagles this week. Gabriel did return in full on Monday, and we will likely see him for the first time in live action on Saturday in the Week 2 preseason game. The shoulder soreness for Sanders seems to be a non-issue at this point, and we will likely see a lot of him as well.
What does all this mean? Tony Grossi told ESPN Cleveland on Tuesday that he sees Pickett as a 7-on-7 participant only, which would make his chances of playing on Saturday highly unlikely. That would mean a huge dose of Sanders and Gabriel is highly likely.
How much is Kenny Pickett going to practice against the Eagles and what does it mean for the QB competition? @TonyGrossi shares what he’s hearing… pic.twitter.com/WSciaE1Rot
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 12, 2025
Grossi shared that the Browns will want to see him in live action before the regular season, and the final preseason game vs. the Rams could be his debut.
If that’s the case and Pickett doesn’t play this week, expect Stefanski to punt the Week 1 starter again. Pickett has looked sharp and is likely who the organization is leaning toward, but if he can’t get on the field, it could be costly to his opportunity to be the starter.
