Legendary Browns QB Sends Ominous Shedeur Sanders Warning to Team

The Cleveland Browns quarterback competition just may be the NFL’s most-talked about position battle of training camp so far.

What originally started as a four-player race between Super Bowl champion Joe Flacco, former first-round pick Kenny Pickett, rookie third-rounder Dillon Gabriel and rookie fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders picked up a new contender on Monday after ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced the Browns had signed former Pro Bowl passer Tyler Huntley.

Given his experience, Flacco has been considered the leader in the clubhouse the entire offseason, while some reporters are convinced Pickett was giving him a run for his money before suffering an injury setback last week.

The team released its first depth chart of training camp on Monday with Flacco holding down the No. 1 spot followed by Pickett, Gabriel, and Sanders — in that order.

Some reports from camp indicate that the Browns are intrigued by Gabriel, and a few reporters have stated the former Oregon Duck has his share of supporters pulling for him to win the starting job.

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Conversely, Sanders has had his moments during the offseason, but the consensus is he’s in last place with quite a bit of work ahead of him to make any sort of move up the depth chart.

While the Gabriel/Sanders situation is one worth watching, and many fans have been clamoring for Sanders to start at some point this season, legendary Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar recently weighed with his assessment of how Cleveland is handling its two young QBs.

“I would caution fans…let’s sacrifice those old veteran guys,” Kosar said during an appearance on 92.3 The Fan. “Don’t dissipate the confidence and belief of a young quarterback. We kill more quarterbacks by putting them in there early and stuff.

“To have the veterans play early, especially in September, I think would be very productive for the long-term careers of the team and the young quarterbacks.”

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Kosar added that he said the same thing during Baker Mayfield’s rookie year when he went 6-7 as the starter, advocating for Tyrod Taylor to start until Mayfield was unquestionably ready as opposed to throwing him straight into the fire.

Though Kosar clearly believes Sanders and Gabriel should both be riding the bench during their rookie seasons, he also added that he likes what he’s seeing from both first-year passers.

“I love how [Sanders] is handling stuff,” Kosar continued. “… He’s out here an hour early, and that’s working out type stuff. He’s one of the last guys here, he’s signing autographs and all that. Dillon Gabriel’s picking up the system. It’s fun to watch.”