The quarterback position for the Cleveland Browns has been a mess for the last 25 years. When Dillon Gabriel took the field as a starter for the first time in Week 5, he became the 41st player to hold that distinction for the Browns since 2000. Given how things have progressed this season, it doesn’t look like that situation is coming to a resolution anytime soon. After Deshaun Watson went down with a season-ending injury, the team had to scramble for an answer.
That scramble led them to sign Joe Flacco, trade for Kenny Pickett, and draft both Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the third and fifth rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft, respectively. However, none of the options have looked like a hit, with Pickett and Flacco already traded away. For one analyst, Gabriel’s performance and Cleveland’s lack of trust in Sanders have provided enough evidence for him to suggest that the Browns try their shot at a top-flight quarterback in next year’s draft.
Will the Browns Finally Solve Their Quarterback Conundrum in 2026?
Starting the season with Flacco as the quarterback turned out to be a mistake on Cleveland’s part. No longer the star who won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens, he ranks 35th among 38 qualified quarterbacks on PFSN’s QB Impact.
With the offense failing to put up more than 17 points in any of his four starts, head coach Kevin Stefanski finally made the move to make a change at the quarterback spot, giving the 94th overall pick in the draft the starting role.
Through two games, his numbers haven’t been markedly better, as he lands just one spot ahead of Flacco in QBi, with a grade of 57.2 compared to the veteran’s 56.8. In Sanders’ case, it seems clear that the Browns don’t trust him to handle the offense.
Still at the QB2 spot, his elevation after Flacco’s trade was in question till a day or two before the game, with Stefanski giving practice squad member Bailey Zappe the spot. As a result, it seems unlikely that the organization will hand him the ball at any point during the season.
For Mark Stolte of PFSN, that means the quarterback position remains unaddressed for the Browns. In his latest mock draft, though, he brings a solution to the franchise. With the second overall pick, he expects them to draft LaNorris Sellers out of South Carolina.
In his second year as a starter for the Gamecocks, Sellers has shown a unique ability as a dual-threat quarterback. After going for 2,534 passing yards and 18 touchdowns, in addition to 657 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground last year, his production has remained high this year as well.
Through six games of the collegiate season, he has 1,010 yards and four touchdowns through the air, while adding 117 yards and one touchdown on the ground. Add in 137 offensive yards and three total touchdowns during his freshman campaign, and you have the makings of an elite prospect.
Singing his praises, Stolte said, “He has shown palpable progress as a passer of the ball in all areas of the field. He does a great job of keeping the ball out of harm’s way, ranking 25th in the least amount of EPA lost to interceptions. He is obviously an incredible scrambler and rusher, ranking 23rd in scramble EPA and 27th in rush EPA this season.”
But for the Browns, he believes it is a chance to right a glorious wrong. After drafting Baker Mayfield, who led them to the playoffs in an incredible first four seasons, Cleveland gave up on him, and he’s now an MVP candidate for the Super Bowl-contending Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“If they want to get back to being a competitive team, they will need to swing for the fences. Luckily for them, their awful history allows them the ability to be risk-loving because they don’t have a baseline level of play to lose from striking out.”
Sellers could be that swing for the fences, and might finally be the one to give the Browns a sustainable enough offense that the postseason isn’t just a pipedream in Cleveland.