The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback room is one of the most unusual in NFL history, featuring five potential options to start in Week 1. As training unfolds, questions continue to swirl around who will lead Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense.
Former two-time Super Bowl champion safety Justin Reid of the New Orleans Saints believes the crowded QB room may be doing more harm than good, suggesting that too many options could hold the Browns back rather than helping them.
Why Does Justin Reid Think Five Quarterbacks Is Too Many for Browns?
The Browns’ quarterback room has five players who could realistically start in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season.
Deshaun Watson, who signed a five-year extension in 2022 worth over $40 million annually, is still recovering from an Achilles tear and likely won’t be ready for the start of the season.
In response, the Browns re-signed veteran Joe Flacco, added Kenny Pickett in free agency, and selected both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft, creating one of the most crowded QB situations in recent memory.
While having options at quarterback isn’t necessarily bad, on “Good Morning Football,” Reid explained that having too many potential starters could make it hard for Cleveland to determine who is the best during training camp.
.@JustinqReid weighs in on the QB situation in Cleveland ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/cCQWvNw20F
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) July 15, 2025
“Sometimes when you have five quarterbacks, you don’t really have any quarterbacks,” Reid said. “There’s not enough time to split the pie and see what goes around, so some of these guys are going to have to start rising to the top.”
What Does This Mean for Cleveland’s 2025 Season?
Reid is right on that point. The Browns’ draft was a questionable one. While they got a consensus top-10 talent in Mason Graham with the fifth overall pick, they took two quarterbacks down the board.
They selected Oregon’s Gabriel in the third round and Colorado’s Sanders in the fifth round. The fanbase and media are pushing them to start Sanders. With limited reps, it’s unlikely that Cleveland will see enough to make him QB1.
The Browns need to cut their quarterback room down by one or two players when the NFL preseason is over to make space on their 53-man roster. There’s a real chance one of their draft picks will be released.
With Pickett and Flacco’s experience, it’s fair to say that one of them will be the Week 1 starter, but to Reid’s point, none of these guys will get enough meaningful reps to be fully prepared for the season.
