Cleveland Browns Week 1 Starting QB Odds: Predictions & Breakdown

Once the Draft wraps up, NFL fans are faced with a few months where not much of note is going on across the league—except when there are teams that haven’t decided who their starting quarterback is going to be. A good old fashioned QB competition through training camp and preseason keeps things interesting.

While it doesn’t look like we’ll have many this offseason, there is one that promises to bring drama and entertainment: that of the Cleveland Browns. They took the scattershot approach with the QB position this offseason, so there are four possible choices, including polarizing rookie Shedeur Sanders.

This one promises to be so fun that NFL sportsbooks are actually offering odds on who will end up the starter for Week 1. We’ve got you covered with all of those odds as well as our breakdown and predictions for the race.

Cleveland Browns Week 1 Starting QB Odds: Predictions & Breakdown

All odds provided by Betway.

The Favorite: Joe Flacco (+116)

Joe Flacco is the only guy out of this foursome that really has accomplished anything in the NFL. And he’s accomplished a lot. But most of that was a decade or more ago. He turned 40 in January, so his best days are behind him. He can still sling it, as he has averaged 2.3 TD passes in 10 starts during his last two stints in Cleveland in 2023 and Indianapolis last year.

However, he’s also averaged 1.5 interceptions in those games, which is pretty brutal. Right now, Flacco seems like the safest pick because if he’s slotted in as QB1 before training camp, we doubt he’ll do anything to drop from there. We’d be surprised if he last pasted Halloween if he does win the job, but that’s beyond our purview here. At just +116 odds at most betting apps offering this prop, he’s not offering a lot of value, but he’s the safest pick right now.

Steer Clear: Kenny Pickett (+220)

We’re not sure why Kenny Pickett has the second-shortest odds to start in Week 1. If anything, he’s the most likely of the three to earn the locked in backup QB2 role. That’s what he was last year for the Super Bowl-champion Eagles.

Pickett doesn’t make many mistakes, but he doesn’t do a lot of exciting things either, so we doubt he’ll be able to climb the ladder in training camp. Steer clear of this one, especially at just +220 odds.

The Dark Horse Rookies: Shedeur Sanders (+370) & Dillon Gabriel (+830)

Shedeur Sanders is probably the best bet on the board in terms of both betting value in the odds at +370, as well as indications that he can win the job. Going against him is a lot of public sentiment and the fact that he was a fifth round pick, the second QB the team chose. However, he seems to have a lot going for him compared to Gabriel.

He’s taller, he’s bigger, he’s got longer arms and bigger hands. He’s also got a better arm overall, better accuracy on his passes, and while neither of these guys is gonna be the next Lamar Jackson, Sanders is the faster and more athletic of the two as well. There’s a reason he was ahead of Gabriel on almost every big board pre-draft.

Zac Jackson of The Athletic, who watched the entire portion of the two days of rookie minicamp that were open to the media last week, also said that in terms of who looked better throwing the ball: “It’s not close… Shedeur Sanders”. He did qualify that by saying it was just rookie minicamp. That’s true, but any sign is a good sign.

Gabriel did take the first reps at rookie minicamp, which could also mean something. But so far it seems Sanders is giving off more QB1 vibes. Denzel Ward and David Njoku both shouted out Sanders—but not Gabriel—following the draft. That doesn’t mean nothing. At the end of the day, we think Sanders is likely to finish ahead of Gabriel, so he’s the best bet. But at +830 odds, Gabriel is a better dart throw than either Flacco or Pickett.