Browns Make First QB Cut, Part Ways With Former Pro Bowler
The Cleveland Browns have cut their first quarterback of the offseason just two days before the NFL will require the team’s unofficial 53-man roster.
Tyler “Snoop” Huntley was the first casualty of the QB room, despite being the only player to see action in all three preseason contests. ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news via an X post on Sunday, August 24.
“Browns are releasing quarterback Tyler Huntley, per source,” Schefter wrote. “Cleveland has been planning to keep its other four QBs — Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders — on its 53-man roster.”
Browns Decision to Cut Tyler Huntley Means Team Less Likely to Trade Kenny Pickett Ahead of Week 1
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett.
The move is good news for every quarterback on Cleveland’s roster, though it’s probably best for the prospects of Pickett and Sanders with regards to their Browns-specific futures.
Pickett, 27, is a viable trade candidate heading into his fourth NFL season and playing on the final year of an affordable $14 million rookie contract. He’s missed all three of the team’s preseason games with a hamstring injury he suffered during a training camp session in late July, which cost him his shot at the QB1 job that now belongs to Flacco.
The Las Vegas Raiders just lost backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell for between six and eight weeks due to a wrist fracture and are in the market for a reliable backup signal-caller behind Geno Smith. Cleveland could likely recoup the fifth-round pick it sent to the Philadelphia Eagles in a deal flipping Pickett to the Raiders, which would make sense if the Browns don’t view Pickett as a longterm solution.
However, the team does need to make sure it protects Gabriel and Sanders through the brutal first six weeks of its 2025 schedule. If Flacco suffers injury or plays terribly, the team needs another veteran to whom it can turn.
Huntley could have been that player, but clearly the Browns decided to go a different direction by cutting the former Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowler on Sunday.
Dillon Gabriel Looks to Hold Edge Over Shedeur Sanders in Browns’ Rookie QB Battle
GettyQuarterbacks Dillion Gabriel (left) and Shedeur Sanders (right) of the Cleveland Browns.
Cleveland has yet to make the remainder of its depth chart at the QB position clear, and where Pickett might fall is of some interest given he’s had zero reps against opposing defenses with either the Browns’ starters or their backups.
However, based on the past two preseason contests, it’s fairly obvious that Gabriel now holds the edge over Sanders in the battle for rookie QB supremacy — a bout that will no doubt result in the QB3/QB4 determination at least, and could impact the backup situation depending on Pickett’s health/readiness once Week 1 rolls around.
Gabriel started game No. 2 and played reasonably well, completing 13-of-18 passes for 143 yards and an interception. He also took two sacks during that outing. He then started against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday, throwing for 129 yards and one score on 12-of-19 passing and earning a rating of 100.5.
After a quality start against the Carolina Panthers to open the preseason, Sanders took a huge step back in his next action, all of which came in the second half against the Rams. He went 3-of-6 passing for 14 yards and took five sacks.
The coaching staff pulled Sanders from the game ahead of final two-minute drive in the fourth quarter that ultimately decided the contest. They did so in favor of Huntley, who went 1-of-1 and led the Browns to a game-winning field goal.
