Four QBs, simultaneous passing drills, lots of reps … OTAs are under way and the competition is in full swing

BEREA — Joe Flacco is 40 years old and entering his 18th NFL season. He thinks he was a teenager the last time he was in a real quarterback competition."Probably my sophomore year of high school," he said Wednesday after an organized team activities practice. "I could be wrong."Five things to watch as organized team activities openFlacco's in the early stages of a four-man battle to be the Browns' starter when the season opens in September. He shared repetitions during the 70-minute session Wednesday with Kenny Pickett and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders and isn't focused on the competition."I'm just going out there and doing what I do and everything else is out of my control," Flacco said.He's the only known commodity in the competition. He's started 191 games in the regular season and won 105. He's a Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP. He won four straight December games in coach Kevin Stefanski's offense, throwing for 300 yards in each, to lead the Browns to the playoffs in 2023 after signing in November."Joe physically has been gifted with the ability to throw the football," Stefanski said. "He looks the same to me."After the disastrous trade for Deshaun Watson, the Browns are looking for a long-term answer at the position. Flacco's age knocks him out of that discussion, leaving Pickett as the early favorite to win the job. He's a former first-round pick of the Steelers — No. 20 in 2022 — turns 27 on June 6, is 15-10 as a starter and the Browns believe he's got untapped potential."I'm really excited about what Kenny brings to the team," Stefanski said. "He's a guy that works extremely hard at his craft. I love the way he thinks about the game. He's very, very tough."He's doing a nice job. We're throwing a lot at these guys, and he's handling it really well."Rookie QB Dillon Gabriel isn't afraid of challengeThe quarterback battle will continue to be intensely scrutinized until Stefanski makes a decision on the starter, likely in August. Pickett said the vibe is different inside the ropes."I think the outside world makes it up a lot bigger than it is," he said. "When you're day-to-day and you're in meetings with these guys, you're out at practice, you spend so much time together. Of course, we're all competing, but you become friends with everybody. We're helping each other. There's an open dialogue in the quarterback room to help each other grow."The room and competition got a lot more intriguing on draft weekend in April. Gabriel was chosen at No. 94 in the third round, and Sanders at No. 144 in the fifth round after a trade up.The Browns were always going to draft a quarterback, but two was a surprise, especially Sanders as the second after his free fall. Flacco said beforehand he wouldn't watch the draft but got updates from his wife."You always have a little bit of reaction," he said. "My wife was like, 'oh, they just drafted another guy.' My wife is on top of it. So there you go."The addition of two rookies with upside could leave Flacco or Pickett vulnerable to being traded before the season."There's no shying away that there's something that gets ignited in you a little bit," Flacco said of the quarterback picks. "There's a reason I still want to play this game. But at the end of the day, I really don't focus on those things. I focus on coming out here, doing my work, having a lot of fun, and all those other things fall into place."Joe Flacco on Browns drafting two QBs. pic.twitter.com/7mihgb1Cxp— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) May 28, 2025https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsPickett has taken a similar approach."I think the longer you play in the NFL, you just take everything in stride, man," he said. "I have a job to do. I think everyone's focused on doing their job, so it's been going really well so far."The mentality that he's going to be the starter didn't change."When you get locked in that mindset, nothing really makes it different," Pickett said. "You just stick in that mode and continue to show up and work every day."Getting four passers sufficient repetitions is a logistical challenge. Stefanski changed his practice plan, going to simultaneous seven-on-seven drills to maximize the time on the field.After full-team 11-on-11 drills, the team split, with Flacco and Pickett on one field and Gabriel and Sanders on the other. Sanders, who didn't take any 11-on-11 reps, followed Gabriel and threw a couple of nice touchdown passes in a red zone drill.Browns QB Shedeur Sanders with red zone TD. pic.twitter.com/fdySU3NGtM— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) May 28, 2025https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsStefanski again warned not to read into the rotation and said it changes within a practice and from day to day. Pickett took the first snaps in the first offensive drill and Flacco in the first team drill, throwing a strike to receiver Jerry Jeudy on a deep over route. Pickett went first in the next team drill, with Gabriel following."We're just trying to get guys exposure to different concepts," Stefanski said. "So it varies by walkthrough. It can vary by drill. We're not leaning into or worried about the order at this moment."The rookies added spice to the roster and the competition.Gabriel threw for nearly 19,000 yards and 155 touchdowns in college but is undersized at 5-foot-11, 205 pounds. Sanders is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion and has a huge following on social media."They're working hard. They're competing very well," Jeudy said. "Very smart, athletic quarterbacks that know the game of football, that know how to play the position real well. I'm excited. They got a bright future ahead of them."Browns QB Kenny Pickett on teaching and learning with rookie QBs. pic.twitter.com/xb0ktTnRhv— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) May 28, 2025https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThe veterans in the room say the rookies have fit in nicely."We're having a blast and having a lot of fun talking football and then just laughing at things that come up on a daily basis," Flacco said.He said Sanders asked about footwork and Gabriel about cadence."Shedeur has been great," Flacco said when asked about the big persona. "He's a lot of fun to be around in those meeting rooms. He's a young guy trying to learn some football and come out here and practice well and do those things. I probably wasn't too far away from playing against his dad and now I'm playing with him."The Browns have OTAs through next week, then a three-day mandatory minicamp June 10-12. Training camp starts in July."When you get back for training camp, it's training camp and it starts over and now it's the real season and that's what matters," Flacco said. The post Four QBs, simultaneous passing drills, lots of reps … OTAs are under way and the competition is in full swing first appeared on BrownsZone with Scott Petrak.