The Cleveland Browns are heading into a rebuilding year, but that doesn’t mean they can’t create some positive momentum heading into the future and wipe away the dread that comes following another disappointing season.
Things were bleak earlier this offseason after a disastrous 2024 campaign, but there is plenty to be excited about going forward.
Kevin Patra of NFL.com recently highlighted the biggest concern facing each AFC North team at this point in the NFL calendar, and for the Browns, it was obvious.
“Top priority: Pick a QB1,” Patra wrote. “John Madden famously said that if you have two quarterbacks, you have none. I’d love to know what the Hall of Famer would say about the quartet set to compete in Cleveland. This is well-plowed ground at this stage, but it’s by far the most interesting thing happening in Berea. Kevin Stefanski needs to pick a horse and ride him into the regular season. At the very least, he should narrow down the rotation heading into camp.”
For a team that has failed so miserably to find a franchise quarterback, it’s interesting that the Browns have taken a strength-by-numbers approach.
Even if all of Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders prove that they aren’t the short-term or long-term solution, Cleveland holds two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, which is expected to have high-end QB talent.
So, next year’s top pick could be the savior the team has always needed.
For now, there is plenty to sort out, and with a daunting schedule for the first eight games of the season, it wouldn’t be surprising if either Flacco or Pickett started early on before ceding to one of the rookies to see if either of them can solidify himself as a long-term solution.
Stefanski doesn’t need to “pick a horse” just yet, and it’s clear the Browns are comfortable letting this play out.
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