The Cleveland Browns held a wide-open quarterback competition during the 2025 NFL offseason. On Monday, they announced Joe Flacco had won it.
Flacco spent the 2024 NFL season with the Indianapolis Colts. He made six starts for the team, posting a 2-4 record and completing 65.3% of his passes for 1,761 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The 40-year-old will now make his first Week 1 start since 2022 when the Browns face off against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Sept. 7.
Cleveland’s decision to start Flacco may surprise some who have paid close attention to the team’s preseason games. The veteran didn’t play in either of the first two, which gave rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders a chance to shine.
But ultimately, it wasn’t enough for either of the 2025 NFL Draft picks to earn the starting job over the experienced Flacco, who has made 191 career starts.
Here’s more to know about Cleveland’s decision and how the depth chart will shake out behind Flacco.
Why isn’t Shedeur Sanders starting for the Browns?
Sanders received more fanfare than any of the participants in Cleveland’s quarterback competition during the 2025 NFL offseason. That said, the fifth-round rookie was always facing an uphill battle to emerge as a Week 1 starter.
Sanders was routinely listed as the No. 4 option on Cleveland’s depth chart during the 2025 NFL offseason. He was behind Flacco, Kenny Pickett and fellow rookie Gabriel, meaning he had to make up ground to get into the starting quarterback race.
However, Sanders was unable to build on that momentum in preseason Week 2. He suffered an oblique injury in practice and was held out of the team’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
As such, Sanders simply ran out of time to state his case to climb the quarterback depth chart. That prevented him from emerging as a true challenger to Flacco.
Now, the Colorado focus will shift his focus to a dual-goal of locking up a roster spot with the Browns and trying to insert himself into the team’s backup quarterback battle.
Browns QB depth chart
Below is a look at the Browns’ quarterback depth chart, which presently contains five available quarterbacks:
- Joe Flacco
- Kenny Pickett
- Dillon Gabriel
- Shedeur Sanders
- Tyler Huntley
The Browns also have Deshaun Watson on their 90-man roster, but the veteran isn’t expected to play in 2025 after tearing his Achilles twice in less than three months.
Sanders remains in the No. 4 slot on Cleveland’s depth chart, but he may be able to move up in the pecking order in preseason Week 3. His chance of doing so may depend on what the team does with Pickett, who hasn’t yet played during the preseason while nursing a hamstring injury.
If the Browns keep Pickett, Sanders and Gabriel figure to battle for the team’s third-string job to start the season. Gabriel, who was selected 50 picks ahead of Sanders, likely has a leg up in that battle.
But if Cleveland decides not to keep Pickett, or stashes him on IR amid his hamstring issues, that could open the door for Sanders and Gabriel to battle for the Browns backup quarterback job.
Either way, preseason Week 3 figures to be critical for the trio of quarterbacks behind Flacco on Cleveland’s depth chart.
