As the Cleveland Browns start training camp, all everyone can talk about is their crowded quarterback competition. Cleveland will have a wide-open battle with four quarterbacks participating: 40-year-old Joe Flacco, 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett, rookie third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, and rookie Shedeur Sanders, who was selected in the fifth round. The Browns will give all four a shot in camp to prove why they should be the starter.
While entering camp without a solidified QB1 certainly provides it’s fair share of challenges, there is one advantage working in Cleveland’s favor since it doesn’t know who’s going to be under center. The Browns won’t be tasked with trying to shape the offense to a specific quarterback, something that didn’t go well for the team in recent years.
Daniel Oyefusi detailed this in a recent ESPN piece, naming Cleveland’s return to Kevin Stefanski’s offense as the biggest storyline for the team entering camp.
A return to Kevin Stefanski’s offense is expected to bring the Browns more success
Oyefusi explained how Cleveland redesigned its offense for veteran quarterback Deshaun Watson. Since the team didn’t have much success, and Watson is now sidelined with an Achilles injury, Stefanski is taking the offense back to the basics. The Browns even made that clear in the draft, adding two running backs and a tight end.
"Will a return to Kevin Stefanski's offense result in more success? The last two seasons, the Browns reshaped their offense to fit Deshaun Watson, who remains sidelined after suffering a setback in recovery from an Achilles tear. Cleveland, though, is set to return to the scheme Stefanski ran in his first three seasons as head coach, with a focus on improving the run game."Daniel Oyefusi (ESPN)
The quarterback competition will allow the Browns to identify the QB who can best operate Stefanski’s system. The head coach has proven he can orchestrate a successful offense with multiple different quarterbacks, and he’s on a mission to prove that again. This time, he won’t be concerned with making his offense fit a quarterback, as he will be able to decide which of four quarterbacks best fits his offense. If Cleveland can identify the perfect QB for Stefanski, the Browns may turn things around much quicker than expected.