Fans flooded social media with buzz after Shedeur Sanders lit up the Panthers in the preseason opener. For a hot second, it looked like he had locked down his Week 2 spot. Even Kevin Stefanski hinted at it, saying, “Yeah, I guess if those guys could not play, yes, and we’re working through that.” But football’s cruel twist arrived early: Shedeur’s now sidelined with an oblique injury, swinging the spotlight back to Dillon Gabriel. With Gabriel nursing a hamstring issue himself, the Browns’ QB room feels like a revolving door, especially with Deshaun Watson, and the Eagles game will be the ultimate test.
Quarterback battles have become must-see TV, and the Browns’ camp has been no exception. Dillon Gabriel’s debut showed flashes of promise. But the second quarter was filled with turnovers, while Shedeur Sanders sat out Saturday’s practice (August 16) with an oblique tweak. Meanwhile, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett have been rotating reps, giving head coach Kevin Stefanski plenty to chew on.
In October or November, Deshaun Watson is expected to be cleared from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and ready to rejoin team activities. That’s when things get interesting, according to Nick Pedone on 92.3 The Fan: “Once you’re clear, you have two options. You either activate him or you cut him. I don’t think they’re cutting him because of the cap space. So they’re going to have to activate him.” And with Deshaun Watson’s fully guaranteed contract, releasing him would trigger up to $172 million of dead-money penalties against the cap, essentially forcing the Browns’ hand.
Daryl Ruiter concurs: “It’s just procedures they have to perform… people eye-roll he’s in the, yeah, they gained access to all that trash.” And what was a four-man battle is going to swell to five quarterbacks in the game, and Cleveland’s front office will have no choice but to retain Deshaun Watson, too.
“At some point, he’s going to get cleared. They’re going to have to activate him. Things are going to get interesting.”
@NickPedone12 & @RuiterWrongFAN on the possibility of Deshaun Watson seeing the field for #Browns this season
Listen: https://t.co/Gdw6V48DZ7 pic.twitter.com/jkRSVJz0YE
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) August 17, 2025
Pedone’s breakdown emphasizes the Browns’ key reality: Deshaun Watson’s return is not a matter of fit or deserving, it’s one of cap calculus. Cleveland’s already carrying four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, with rookies Sanders and Gabriel complementing veterans Flacco and Pickett. When the Browns take Deshaun Watson off the PUP list, Cleveland must either activate him or absorb catastrophic dead money, with no real “cut him” option. That situation creates a roster logjam. Preseason games that should have clear winners and losers are now feeling crowded.
There is no way to release Deshaun Watson without dire financial ramifications, so the Browns will sign him as soon as he passes. That means five quarterbacks will be on the active roster concurrently, forcing Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry into some tough decisions: will they carry that many signal-callers into the regular season, or look for creative roster maneuvers? Either way, the moment Deshaun Watson is ready, Cleveland’s depth chart will look more like a quarterback convention than a position battle.
Kevin Stefanski’s pretty close to the QB announcement for the Browns
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Kevin Stefanski wants to leverage the preseason finale as a “dress rehearsal” for Week 1, so much so that he plans to name his starter before that final tune-up. Stefanski added clarity this week on the timeline for naming his Week 1 starter. “We’ll have this decided before our final preseason game,” the coach told reporters, echoing Schefter’s report that the decision comes ahead of Cleveland’s preseason finale, so “the team can use this final week as a dress rehearsal”. That strategy enables Cleveland to put its projected opener offense into action against live opponents. Coaches covet this chance while refining protection calls and red-zone scripting.
By exposing the starter early, Kevin Stefanski can rehearse Week 1 in game-like situations, giving his offense a valuable full-pace dress rehearsal. The decision will reveal whether he leans on Flacco’s veteran smarts or rides the hot hand from camp, but naming a QB1 this week shows confidence in whoever wins the competition.
All in all, the Browns have engineered one of the most fascinating quarterback sagas of the preseason: a four-way fight complicated by Deshaun Watson’s looming activation and a coach determined to make his choice with game film in hand. Now that Stefanski’s timeline is set, the only question left is: who’ll emerge as Cleveland’s Week 1 signal-caller?
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