Shedeur Sanders Stuck In Crowded Cleveland Browns Quarterback Room: Trade Incoming?

With recent draft picks Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel now in the fold, the Cleveland Browns own one of the most intriguing and crowded quarterback rooms in the NFL. Those two are navigating rookie minicamp alone this weekend but will soon be joined by veteran Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and the injured Deshaun Watson.

Needless to say, plenty will be decided over the next few months as coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees analyze their four healthy options at quarterback. All four hold value, and trading one is certainly a possibility depending on how the preseason plays out.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) heads off the field after the first day of NFL rookie minicamp at the Cleveland Browns training facility on Friday, May 9, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On ESPN's "NFL Live," analyst Jeremy Fowler recently shared his thoughts on Cleveland potentially trading one of its quarterbacks.

"The Browns got these four quarterbacks (that) they're going to roll with that for the next two to three months to see how it shakes out," Fowler said. "Shedeur Sanders will have every opportunity to make his impression and to make this team. The Browns also look at quarterbacks like all positions: like currency, like value. They could trade one of these guys in August if they play well in the preseason."

Fowler added that although Sanders, who spent the past two seasons breaking records with the Colorado Buffaloes, may not have interviewed well with certain teams during the pre-NFL Draft process, the Browns have faith in their fifth-round pick.

"They're going to give Sanders every chance because the word around the league is he had a tough time with some of these interviews with other teams. That was not the Browns' experience," Fowler said. "They felt good about him. They felt he was a good person, that he was accurate on the field. There's some things to like, but he has to beat out Dillon Gabriel."

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"The Browns also look at quarterbacks, like all positions, like currency, like value. They can trade one of these guys in August."@JFowlerESPN on the possibilities of the Browns' quarterback room 👀 pic.twitter.com/y3hnmUmP8Q
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) May 9, 2025

Stefanski may not admit it publicly, but Gabriel appears to be ahead of Sanders on the Browns' offseason depth chart, likely due to his status as a third-round draft pick. Gabriel led the Oregon Ducks to a Big Ten Conference championship last season and took the first team reps ahead of Sanders during the Browns' first rookie minicamp practice on Friday.

Fowler confirmed that Cleveland was quietly a staunch fan of Gabriel throughout the pre-draft process.

"They were so surprised (about) the Gabriel dynamic and that their courtship of him in pre-draft didn't get more publicity by the media," Fowler said. "They low-key loved him for months and nobody knew it, and they drafted him two rounds earlier, so he (Sanders) has to beat him out."

Fowler's take suggests Gabriel may be the least likely quarterback of the four to be traded. Meanwhile, Flacco turned 40 in January and Pickett is coming off a 2024 season that earned him a Super Bowl ring as Philadelphia Eagles' backup quarterback behind Jalen Hurts.