Kevin Stefanski says QB decision coming this week as Browns get ready for season opener

The four-man Browns quarterback competition of 2025 is all but over.Injuries prevented it from materializing as the organization had envisioned. And it certainly didn't live up to the hype.Coach Kevin Stefanski sounded Sunday as if he had made up his mind on who will open the season as the starter. It's expected to be 40-year-old Joe Flacco under center Sept. 7 against counterpart Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field.Stefanski was asked if Flacco, Kenny Pickett and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders were all still in the mix."Just so focused on our guys' development and practice and doing what they're supposed to do when they get in these games," he said. "Obviously we will name a starter. It's going to come this week. We still anticipate all of our players, whether you're a starter or not, to prepare like you're the starter. And knowing all of our players in that room, that's exactly what they'll do."The players were off Sunday and will return to team headquarters Monday for lifting, running and meetings. They will practice Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, then host the Rams on Saturday afternoon in the preseason finale."I need to get the football team in here, talk to the players, those types of things," Stefanski said of the timing of his announcement. "We're working towards, obviously, Week 1. That's part of what this week is about, getting our football team ready. So we'll make all those types of determinations in the next couple days."Despite it being billed as a four-man battle, Flacco and Pickett, 27, were always the favorites to emerge ahead of the rookies. Pickett, a former first-round pick of the Steelers, was determined to win the job and jump-start his career, but a hamstring injury July 26 took away his mobility and his chance to beat out Flacco. Pickett has returned to seven-on-sevens but not team drills.Injuries have been a big part of the story. Flacco's been the only one not to miss time, as Gabriel was sidelined for the preseason opener with a hamstring injury and Sanders sat out the game Saturday against the Eagles with an oblique strain."We take this all the way back to April with our player development and getting these guys up to speed," Stefanski said. "And I've been really, really pleased with that group and how hard they've worked, how they've pushed each other, and I think they're all getting better. I think you see moments in practice, you see moments in games where these guys are getting better."Obviously injuries are the worst part of this game. And if it keeps a guy out of a practice or a game, that's not ideal. But I go all the way back to April with the work that these guys have put in."Flacco didn't get a full load of repetitions early in camp because he's a known commodity and the organization wanted a longer look at Pickett and Gabriel. Since the Pickett injury, Flacco has received the majority of first-team work in practice and has settled in.He's in his 18th season, has won 105 games, thrown for 45,697 yards and been a Super Bowl MVP. He led the Browns to the playoffs in 2023 by going 4-0 in December with four straight 300-yard games."We have faith in the room and the coaches' decisions, but we've been around Joe and he's done a great job for us, led us to the playoffs a couple of years ago," left guard Joel Bitonio told reporters Thursday after a joint practice in Philadelphia. "So we have all the faith in him. Obviously we hope all our quarterbacks aren't banged up, kind of how it is right now. But he's shown that he can lead this team, and his poise and his confidence in the huddle is what you'd expect from an 18-year vet."We have all the confidence in the world in whoever they put out there, but Joe's obviously been the healthiest guy and kind of our option right now."The next decision for the Browns will be whether to keep all four quarterbacks on the 53-man regular-season roster. That's unusual across the league, but general manager Andrew Berry has said it's a real possibility. They're expected to keep both rookies, so Pickett would be the odd man out, but only if the organization is ready to have a rookie open the season as the top backup."We'll let it play out as we get closer to the cutdown," Stefanski said of the Aug. 26 deadline. "Those are all conversations that we are always having, but those are tough decisions."The starting offense is scheduled to play against the Rams. The question is whether Pickett and Sanders will be healthy enough to also get time."We really have to take those day by day, so I don't know where that ends up towards the end of the week, but I'm hopeful," Stefanski said.Gabriel was a gameday decision whether to play against the Eagles due to the hamstring. He was cleared, played a half and the hamstring came out "good."Gabriel went 13-for-18 (72 percent) for 143 yards, an interception, two sacks and a 72.2 passer rating in the 22-13 win. His interception was the result of a bad route by one of the receiving targets and a bad decision by Gabriel. He also fumbled on a handoff to Pierre Strong Jr.Tight end Blake Whiteheart and receiver Diontae Johnson wound up too close together when they were supposed to be at different levels."I'm gonna protect the identities (of the guilty party) but we did not do what we were supposed to do on that play, and we will get that coached up," Stefanski said. "You really should never have an interception on a play like that."Gabriel, a third-round pick out of Oregon, led the offense to a touchdown and two field goals. He went 6-for-6 for 51 yards, five conversions and a sack on third down. The Browns started 6-for-6 in third-down conversions."The good part was it was versus multiple coverages," Stefanski said. "I thought the guys were where they're supposed to be on a given play, protection was good and we were able to find completions. Those third-down conversions were huge."The post Kevin Stefanski says QB decision coming this week as Browns get ready for season opener first appeared on BrownsZone with Scott Petrak.