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Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski faces a tough challenge managing a QB room that, with Deshaun Watson out for the season due to injury, lacks a clear starter and includes two rookies: Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
Joe Flacco, a 17-season NFL veteran, has made it clear that he's not a mentor. Kenny Pickett, entering his fourth year, also seems more focused on securing a spot on the team than mentoring the two rookie quarterbacks.
Stefanski's keys to success for rookies
The Browns Head Coach hasn't told the media who his QB1 is for now, but he did reveal what he expects from the rookies - and how, by "feeding off" Flacco, Pickett, and Watson's wisdom, they can establish themselves as Cleveland's starting quarterback.
"I get to sit there and watch the two young guys look over and there's Joe [Flacco], 40 years old, won a Super Bowl. There's Kenny Pickett, just going into year four, but first round draft pick that's been on a couple teams, won a Super Bowl last year. There's Deshaun [Watson], had a ton of success in his career. They can kind of feed off of all those guys. So that's the thing I'm really - it's fun to watch them get better sometimes just by listening," Stefanski said on a golf course.
But with all that talent in the locker room, Stefanski expects Sanders and Dillon to make a smart decision when choosing who will be their role model on the team. "We often talk about leadership, there's also follower-ship and the ability to find that guy that I want to follow," he said. "I think all of that certainly you can get in this time of year and also that then goes to the season and as you get in your routine, really attaching yourself to a vet, those guys that end up playing ten years in this league, that's simply not by accident."
Gabriel adapting quickly to the Browns' offense
While the Browns OTAs have been a hot topic lately, it appears that Gabriel hasn't felt the pressure and is adapting well to the team, even with the pre-snap calls. "Living in it is a whole different deal," Gabriel said to Cleveland Browns Daily. "But you do it. You get comfy with it and really that's all pre-snap. Once you get used to that with cadence, because a lot of it is the clap. With college guys, that's the cadence of choice but now it's just verbal. There's a lot more alerts, checks, and kills that you're a part of but for the most part, you're introduced to it. At least I was at Oregon."
Gabriel's quick adjustment to the Browns' complex offensive system is a promising sign as he continues to develop after being drafted just last april.