The Cleveland Browns have four potential options at quarterback right now.
Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel will battle for the starting spot, and though none of them sounds like a franchise savior, anything can happen.
After trading first-round picks with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Browns will have two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, which is expected to be stacked at quarterback, so they might be covered if things go south again this year.
With that in mind, former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum claimed that the best-case scenario for the Browns would be that the Jaguars get a top-five pick next year.
Talking on ESPN Radio’s “UNSPORTSMANLIKE,” Tannenbaum said the Browns should play Gabriel or Sanders and then decide whether to trade the Jaguars’ pick or use it on the position.
“In my opinion, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be a top-5 pick next year, which means Cleveland will have a top-5 pick. Best case scenario for them is Dillon Gabriel [or] Shedeur Sanders is their quarterback. Now, they’re sitting there with a top-5 pick. They could trade it. They could take the best quarterback,” Tannenbaum said.
He said he thinks Sanders will ultimately win the QB battle, adding that the Browns should keep either Flacco or Pickett as his backup and trade the other.
There’s a strong case to be made for and against all the options the Browns have.
But if they firmly believe that either Sanders or Gabriel can legitimately run their offense and be the face of the franchise for years to come, they should give them as many opportunities as they need to prove their worth, with Flacco and Pickett at the bottom of the depth chart.
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