Given the team's unfortunate luck with injuries, especially under center, Cleveland loaded up on QBs to compete with Flacco, trading for former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett and drafting former Oregon star Dillon Gabriel in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft, and ex-Colorado star Shedeur Sanders two rounds after Gabriel.

It was advertised as the most entertaining quarterback battle in the NFL, but maybe it really wasn't. On Monday, the Cleveland Browns announced that Joe Flacco would be QB1 when they kick off the season vs. Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7.

It's a commonly held belief that NFL fans and analysts should not overreact to one preseason game - good or bad - but that has rarely stopped anyone from doing exactly that. This week the majority of strong public reactions to the preseason surrounded Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders,

As a former Cleveland quarterback, Baker Mayfield offers guidance to Shedeur Sanders on handling pressure and finding success in the NFL.

The Browns chose Flacco over former first-round pick Kenny Pickett, whom they acquired in a trade; Tyler Huntley, whom they signed this offseason; 2025 third-round pick Dillon Gabriel; and 2025 fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders.

Flacco was always the expected winner of this competition given his veteran presence and experience with head coach Kevin Stefanski. In 2023, Flacco was named Comeback Player of the Year and led the Browns to the postseason. He rejoined Cleveland this offseason after a year with the Indianapolis Colts.

The Browns named Joe Flacco their Week 1 starter for 2025. Here's where Shedeur Sanders and Co. stand in the updated quarterback competition.

Shedeur Sanders' mom, Pilar Sanders, has the internet raving over her preseason outfits after attending multiple games.

The Cleveland Browns took a chance on rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders in this year's draft, selecting him with the franchise's No. 144 overall pick. The first-year signal caller is now locked in highly-publicized preseason QB battle with Joe Flacco,