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Daniel Oyefusi
CLEVELAND — It’s looking increasingly likely that the Browns will enter Week 1 of the NFL season with four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster.
During Cleveland’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday, Browns general manager Andrew Berry told NFL Network’s Chris Rose that keeping four quarterbacks — Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders — is “not much of a decision.”
“Honestly, it’s not much of a decision for us. … We have a room that we like all the guys in there,” Berry said. “We don’t really see that as a problem. We more see it as an opportunity.”
In late July, Berry hinted that keeping four passers during the season was a possibility.
“We’ve largely looked at the last five spots of a roster as more developmental spots, and that can come from any position,” Berry said. “I also think with the roster flexibility nowadays, especially with the elevations that you’re able to have on the practice squad, there’s just more flexibility in terms of how to build your 48-man game-day roster where it’s maybe not as quite as restrictive in the past. Now, that being said, when roster rules were more, let’s say, draconian, there have been teams that have carried four. So, if there are four that are 53-man worthy, we think it makes the most sense for us to keep them.”
The Browns on Monday named Flacco their starting quarterback for Week 1. Coach Kevin Stefanski declined to name a backup to Flacco. Cleveland’s latest unofficial depth chart lists Pickett as the backup and Gabriel and Sanders as third- and fourth-string quarterbacks, respectively.
Deshaun Watson is expected to begin the season on the physically unable to perform list as he continues to rehab an Achilles injury. Tyler Huntley is also signed to the 90-man roster.
Flacco made his preseason debut in the finale, completing 9 of 10 passes for 71 yards and one touchdown in three series. Gabriel, a third-round pick, played two series and completed 12 of 19 passes for 129 yards and one touchdown. Sanders, a fifth-round pick, started the second half.
Pickett did not play Saturday as he deals with a lingering hamstring injury that has sidelined him for the entirety of the preseason.
The NFL’s roster cutdown deadline is 4 p.m. Tuesday.