Who Will Win the Browns' Starting Quarterback Battle in Training Camp?

How big has the scope of the NFL gotten? Fans of the Cleveland Browns and NFL fans alike are going to be dialed into Cleveland's quarterback competition this August despite the team's 4.5 expected wins via FanDuel's NFL win total odds.

In fairness to all of us, this position has gotten a lot more interesting thanks to some of the names the Browns have added in their quarterback room following Deshaun Watson's Achilles injury. Watson's timetable won't leave him available for Week 1, which might be the best news for Browns fans I'll deliver in this piece.

FanDuel actually has NFL Week 1 starting quarterback odds for teams with ambiguity at the position, including Cleveland. Here's how they look as of July 8th:

Which of these contenders will emerge to start Week 1? Who should start Week 1? Let's meet the contenders and make a verdict.

Which Quarterback Will Be the Cleveland Browns' Week 1 Starter?

Joe Flacco: "The Veteran"

One of the steals of offseason NFL betting at FanDuel might have been Joe Flacco as a longshot in this market right after the draft.

It didn't take long to determine that he's the favorite for the job. In 2023 with Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, Flacco nearly sealed the Comeback Player of the Year award with 320.6 passing yards per game for a squad that ended up making the playoffs. A 45-14 drubbing in those playoffs wasn't a great send-off.

After a year in which he was granted and demoted from the Indianapolis Colts' starting job for a similar flash in the pan, the warts with the 40-year-old are obvious. He's thrown 16 picks in 13 appearances since the start of 2023 and hasn't topped -0.09 expected points added per drop back (EPA/db) in either season.

As the odds reflect, this is very much Flacco's job to lose, but he's also incredibly capable of doing so.

Kenny Pickett: "The Stabilizer"

How dysfunctional are the Pittsburgh Steelers at identifying offensive personnel? That question might gauge what chances you give Kenny Pickett to win the job as the only other quarterback with NFL experience.

Pickett was a much-maligned first-round pick in 2022 by Pittsburgh, who many say took the former Pittsburgh Panthers QB because of proximity to the school. He appeared in at least 12 games in both 2022 and 2023 but struggled to fewer than 6.2 yards per attempt (YPA) in both seasons. That didn't exactly refute the detractors.

In 2024, the Philadelphia Eagles brought in Pickett as a backup after losing Marcus Mariota, and across six appearances, he posted 6.9 YPA and -0.05 EPA/db despite the plethora of talent in Philly.

Cleveland gave away a fifth-round pick and Dorian Thompson-Robinson for Pickett, implying they coveted him in some capacity. I'm sure the team would love it if the 27-year-old crushed the preseason and gave their fans hope of just pedestrian quarterback play that allows the team's stellar defense to shine.

Dillon Gabriel: "The Professional"

The most controversial acquisition of these four signal-callers was absolutely Dillon Gabriel.

The former Oregon Ducks quarterback was seen as a Day 3 pick by most due to his 5' 11" height measurement at the combine and average arm strength. There's no doubt he functioned at a high level with an 86.7 QBR in his final season on a loaded Ducks squad, but he was an older prospect at 24.3 years old in April.

As the draft progressed and a certain polarizing quarterback prospect was sliding, Cleveland selected Gabriel with the 94th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to potentially "exclude" themselves from having to take another signal-caller. Oops.

Gabriel's pre-draft process was reportedly excellent because of his football acumen, and the Browns seem to be giving him more opportunities to win the job than the team's other rookie.

Shedeur Sanders: "The Notorious"

The longshot in this market just so happens to be the reason most care so deeply.

Shedeur Sanders was a projected first-round pick at various sources for months leading up to this year's draft. Then, during the week of the draft, rumors of a slide started. No one in the world would have guessed that Sanders would have to wait until the fifth round (144th overall) to hear his name called -- and it was by a Browns team that already took a quarterback ahead of him.

Some believe Browns owner Jimmy Haslam pounded the table for the polarizing college star, who turned around the worst Power 4 program in the country during his time with the Colorado Buffaloes. Sanders set an FBS-record for completion percentage (74.0%) in 2024.

His pre-draft process seemed to be the opposite of Gabriel's. The whiteboard wasn't his friend. However, his tape is still impressive for a Colorado team that didn't have much in terms of an offensive line and running game.

Apparently at the bottom of the totem pole now, Sanders isn't likely to start Week 1. As the Browns are expected to struggle, his odds would be very different for a chance to play at some point in 2025, though.

Final Verdict: Kenny Pickett (+200)

Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot is as plugged in as it gets with all things Browns, and she notes that Flacco and Pickett -- as expected -- have the inside track to start Week 1.

At nearly even odds, Flacco's upside is minimal when there just isn't any chance that he survives the season as the starting quarterback. Even in his time with the Browns that was a "success," he struggled with efficiency and turnovers in most efforts. That's why Cabot insinuates the Browns hope Pickett snatches the job.

At 27, Pickett has the upside to be a reasonable game manager around an elite defense, a litany of veteran offensive linemen with a track record of success, and a core of weapons that was replenished in the draft.

If he can just be decent and keep Cleveland in the neighborhood of .500, it would avoid the awkwardness of determining whether Gabriel or Sanders is next. Every Flacco interception will be met with sideline shots by TV cameras to both rookies.

I'm transparently on the record of putting Sanders in a different stratosphere of talent than the other three signal-callers in this room. He's probably the second-best wager given an otherworldly preseason would draw enough public support to potentially cash a longshot ticket, but expecting politics to limit his opportunities, the odds for Pickett to do what the organization hopes seem very reasonable.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.