The Cleveland Browns are currently counting down the days until the 2026 NFL Draft, where they will have the number six overall pick, in addition to pick 24. The Browns will likely opt to sidestep the quarterback position in this draft and go for other areas of need, considering the three quarterbacks they already have on the roster who are candidates to start in 2026.
Those candidates are Dillon Gabriel, Deshaun Watson, and Shedeur Sanders, each of whom have started games for Cleveland in the past, and recently, all three quarterbacks showed up for the Browns’ voluntary minicamp.
(Video via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com on X, formerly Twitter).
First look at #Browns Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel warming up: pic.twitter.com/tpUPxeZ1I1
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) April 21, 2026
There hasn’t been an announcement yet from new coach Todd Monken on who will be the day one starter for the Browns to open up next season.
However, Sanders got the first-team reps on Tuesday.
Shedeur Sanders is up first taking first-team reps as the Browns break into team drills pic.twitter.com/TiQ8lMOjU8
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) April 21, 2026
The Browns had Joe Flacco start for the opening chunk of the 2025 season before trading him to the Cincinnati Bengals, which opened the door for Gabriel to slide into the starting spot.
However, after Gabriel struggled with both inconsistent play and injuries in his stint under center, fellow rookie Sanders took over the role for the rest of the season, with mixed results.
Meanwhile, the Browns have loads of money tied up to Watson over the future, so the team is certainly incentivized to give him every opportunity possible to win the starting job, despite his struggles with Cleveland since being traded there from the Houston Texans.
Perhaps someone will emerge as the frontrunner for the position during the team’s camp run.
In any case, the Browns will now turn their attention to the NFL Draft, which is slated to get underway with the first round on Thursday evening in Pittsburgh.
The Cleveland Browns are currently counting down the days until the 2026 NFL Draft, where they will have the number six overall pick, in addition to pick 24. The Browns will likely opt to sidestep the quarterback position in this draft and go for other areas of need, considering the three quarterbacks they already have on the roster who are candidates to start in 2026.