The Cleveland Browns have been holding a four-way quarterback competition this offseason, but a favorite to win the starting job has reportedly emerged with a significant portion of training camp in the books.
Zac Jackson of The Athletic shared some of his thoughts on the Browns’ quarterback competition in a column he published on Sunday. He said Joe Flacco has “gone from presumed favorite to strong favorite” over the first nine days of training camp.
Flacco was always favored to win the job, as he is competing with Kenny Pickett and a pair of rookies. The 40-year-old is by far the most proven of the bunch. Jackson says rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders never had much of a legitimate chance of beating out the veterans, and Pickett is working his way back from a hamstring injury.
Sanders also missed practice time this week due to an injury concern, which only worsened his chances.
Flacco already knows Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense from the time Flacco spent with the team in 2023. The former Super Bowl MVP was surprisingly good that season, going 5-1 during the regular season and leading Cleveland to the playoffs.
There have been indications throughout the offseason that Flacco is proving he is the best option for the Browns. He would basically have to lose the job rather than Pickett, Sanders or Gabriel winning it, and nothing to this point has suggested that will happen.
