The Opening Drive 3/17: Browns Need To Add To Quarterback Room Before '26 Season

Examining the best options for the Browns if they want to add competition to quarterback room.

(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

As the Cleveland Browns move deeper into the offseason, one thing remains strikingly clear: the quarterback room has not changed. While Andrew Berry has been aggressive in reshaping other areas of the roster, Cleveland has yet to add another passer to a group currently consisting of Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel.

At first glance, that might suggest the Browns are comfortable letting the competition play out internally. But the reality is that the external options have also begun to dry up. Most of the meaningful veteran quarterbacks have already signed elsewhere, and the trade market has offered few obvious solutions.

That leaves Cleveland in a position where any additional move at quarterback would likely come from a limited pool of unconventional options.

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The Browns’ Current Reality

If the season began today, the room’s structure implies Shedeur Sanders is likely to get the first opportunity to prove he can be a legitimate option. The rookie has a real path to early playing time simply because the Browns have not crowded the depth chart with veteran challengers.

Meanwhile, Deshaun Watson remains one of the most complicated figures in the organization. His contract and experience keep him firmly on the roster, but it’s difficult to see the benefit of him playing any longer in a Browns uniform. The injuries, inconsistency, and off-field baggage have left everyone with a bitter taste, and it seems apparent that while he has to stick on the roster for financial reasons in 2026, I can’t consider him a real option unless something drastic changes.

Behind them, Dillon Gabriel functions primarily as a developmental option and depth quarterback. I cannot consider him a legitimate starting option.

That trio alone could carry the Browns into training camp. But if the Browns decide they want another option in the room, the list of realistic candidates is not particularly long, although they should be exploring all of them, with no clear-cut answer on the roster.

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