After QB Joe Flacco pushed the Cleveland Browns to the 2023 playoffs, the next season with Deshaun Watson at the helm was supposed to be their year. But safe to say, they went from a playoff team to almost unwatchable. With the 2025 season set to be a rebound, Flacco was brought back with two rookie QBs behind him. It was within reason when no other team face-planted more than Cleveland when it came to going QB-heavy in this year’s draft. But as reality stands, they couldn’t fully commit, and instead, waded into another QB search operation.

But who is to say the Browns shouldn’t be in search of their franchise QB still? Good news, everyone, because, unlike the 2025 class, early signs suggest 2026 is loaded with quarterback talent. Which inevitably means Cleveland is well-positioned to find a franchise QB in next year’s class. That, of course, will happen if the darts they throw don’t hit the bullseye. In a way, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders have a few things working in their favor. At 40, Flacco is not a long-term solution. And both these rookies have a fair chance to impress the staff in practice (or maybe even in games). Meaning, they need to make a strong case where the front office feels convinced that they don’t need to draft someone in Round 1 next year. But here’s the catch: Between swinging for the fences and chasing some franchise-altering upside, is HC Kevin Stefanski losing his locker room?

Per his own admission, owner Jimmy Haslam kept reassuring that they understand the importance of the QB role, and that “It’s a daily, ongoing conversation.” But for a locker room looking to improve its 3-14 record, HC Kevin Stefanski not locking his focus on this season might become a problem. “For Kevin Stefanski and his staff to maintain the trust of the locker room, they’re going to have to give those guys the best shot to win week to week,” Albert Breer on 92.3 Fans explained on Wednesday. “Like, you can’t wave the white flag on a season and expect to hold on to the locker room.

“So, on a week-to-week basis, they’re going out and trying to win games, but yeah, there’s a planning element to it.” Now, where is this stemming from? Could it be the fact that Stefanski and his sons tagged along with Haslam and GM Andrew Berry over the weekend to watch what was arguably college football’s most-hyped season opener in years (Ohio State vs. Texas)? Could it be the fact that, later that same night, they were credentialed for the LSU vs. Clemson game? Most certainly. These games featured big-time prospect Arch Manning of the University of Texas, as well as potential 2026 early-round quarterbacks (Garrett Nussmeier of LSU and Cade Klubnik of Clemson).

All in all, there are many moving parts to this story. As Breer puts it, the depth chart speaks for itself: “How often does a third-round pick or a fifth-round pick become your franchise quarterback? I mean it’s pretty self-explanatory looking at a depth chart where you see a 40-year-old as a starter and then you see two rookies that were drafted outside of the top 80 picks. Chances are, they’re going to be looking for a quarterback first round of the draft in April.” The numbers back it too: If we trace our steps back a little bit here, in the last 10 drafts, just 2/54 quarterbacks drafted in rounds 3 or later wound up becoming franchise quarterbacks.

And Stefanski feels the pressure to deliver. That’s one of the reasons why he opted to go with the trusted hands of a 40-year-old veteran as QB1. Dillon Gabriel, on the other hand, proved that his playing for different offenses in college was helpful during the Browns camps and preseason games. Both showed sharper huddle command and steadier game management than Sanders, who was still adjusting to the NFL speed.

As long as we are on this subject, the fact that the Browns shipped Kenny Pickett to the Raiders unravels an uncanny duality. On paper, the move looked like a vote of confidence in the two rookies. In practice, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com noted that the leash on Flacco will be shorter than many expect. If turnovers or sacks pile up, Gabriel is the first in line. For a 94th overall pick, that’s as close to a golden ticket as it gets.

But here’s the twist, Cabot added that Sanders, while raw, will get some live action this season, but probably not until later in the season when he’s more seasoned. That phrasing suggests the Browns view him as more than just a clipboard-holder. He may not be ready for September, but December? That’s a different conversation. And if Flacco falters, or if Gabriel can’t translate preseason flashes into real Sundays, the Sanders drumbeat could get louder by the week.

Still, if this season goes down, the Browns have already deployed scouts in college football games. With two first-round draft picks in 2026, it only makes sense for Stefanski and Co. to look for their franchise QB in next year’s NFL draft. While Cabot stated that this is part of the NFL and Sanders or Gabriel should be prepared for being tossed out, the Sanders fans aren’t as versatile.

“Shedeur Sanders cult” in for a rude awakening!

As for Sanders facing a reality check, Browns Hall of Famer Joe Thomas stepped into the debate with both feet. Thomas dismissed claims that Sanders faces systematic sabotage from NFL decision-makers or coaching staffs.

Thomas addressed the so-called “Shedeur Sanders cult,” and explained, “The reality of the NFL Draft is that you have 32 teams that all want to beat each other, and so they’re not conspiring together to sabotage somebody who, by the way, would be great for the league. And he is great for the league, because the league wants eyeballs… There is no reason they would be trying to conspire against him and sabotage him. [It’s] actually, the opposite. They want to promote a guy like that… They just believe that we’re morons for not being able to see that this guy is the greatest thing since sliced bread, the greatest quarterback since Tom Brady, and he’s ready right now to be able to elevate the franchise to their first Super Bowl of all time, and we’re the idiots for not seeing it,” Thomas explained bluntly.

Sanders himself has leaned into patience rather than pressure. In preseason interviews, he stressed gratitude over entitlement. Moreover, after the preseason finale against the Rams, he was more than ready to learn from the failure than let it get to him. That mindset will serve him well in Cleveland. As veteran Joe pointed out, the Browns see Sanders’ potential, but they also know development can’t be rushed.