Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry acknowledged on Monday what everyone who watched the team play this season already knew full well.
No, it’s not how difficult it is to win with an ownership group that can’t get out of its own way, but rather that the Browns likely do not currently have a viable NFL-level starting quarterback at their disposal
. (They don’t, but let’s give them the benefit of the doubt for just a moment.)That won’t be Kevin Stefanski’s problem anymore after he was “relieved
of his duties” earlier in the day. But the new guy who will occupy the head coach’s office will certainly be interested, especially since it is an accepted fact that you can’t win in the NFL if you don’t have a quarterback.
And make no mistake, the Browns do not currently have a quarterback on the roster who is deserving of being anywhere near the starter’s role this fall. (Time expired on the benefit of the doubt.)
The two most likely candidates, seeing as how veteran Deshaun Watson has certainly played his last down for the Browns, are Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, who both just wrapped up what was, even by the standards of the Browns, an interesting and bizarre season.
Gabriel made six starts from Week 5 through halftime of the Week 11 game before turning things over to Sanders for the final seven starts of the season. So that gives everyone involved an even data set to evaluate what the rookies were able to accomplish.
And, oh dear, do those numbers not look good.
Looking at the raw numbers projected over a 17-game schedule, Gabiel would have finished the year completing 59.5 percent of his passes for 1,593 yards, 12 touchdowns, three interceptions, and 32 sacks. Sanders, meanwhile, projected out to a 56.6 completion percentage, 2,975 yards, 15 touchdowns, 21 interceptions, and 49 sacks.
Going deeper into the more advanced numbers, according to Sumer Sports:
- Gabriel finished with a Total EPA of -43.52, an EPA/Play of -0.20, a Pass EPA of -43.95, and a QBR of 31.
- Sanders checked in with a Total EPA of -59.50, an EPA/Play of -0.23, a Pass EPA of -70.23, and a QBR of 19.
None of those numbers screams “they have cemented their place for 2026,” which Berry emphasized during his media appearance on Monday:
“We’re going to do our work on the quarterback market. It’s too important of a position, and it’s something that has to be solidified. I can’t sit here and tell you today, you know, whether the solution for or the starter in 2026 is internal or external. But it’s something that we’re going to work through over the next several weeks. And quite honestly, the new head coach will also have a lot of input into that as well.”
That dovetails with the statement from the team attributed to Berry earlier in the day, stating he expects to “develop what will be a young offense with heavy investment over the next six months.”
Fortunately, Berry should have the cap space (possibly around $69 million when all is said and done) and the draft picks (10 overall and two in the first round) to achieve that stated goal.
Whether or not that “heavy investment” results in wins remains to be seen, but it seems as clear as ever that the Browns are going to be back in the quarterback market come free agency and the draft.
