The Cleveland Browns have a handful of significant decisions to make at the quarterback position before the summer concludes, including the order of their active signal callers and which of the four they will ultimately cut or trade.
The majority of opinions from NFL insiders and those who cover the Browns specifically is that one of the team’s two veteran options will be the one to go. Nick Pedone of 92.3 The Fan gave his take on Friday, June 20.
“I’m not convinced that it’s not gonna work out, I just think that’s like the clunkiest scenario — is Kenny Pickett in general, because I don’t really understand where he fits in here,” Pedone said. “I think the path is probably Joe Flacco as your starter and then bridge to Shedeur [Sanders] or Dillon Gabriel, whichever one looks better. And you get both of those guys regular-season cracks this season.”
“Kenny Pickett is just a little bit lost on me because I don’t really understand where he fits from day one. I’ve never really seen him play elite-level quarterback,” Pedone continued. “At best, I do think [head coach Kevin] Stefanski can salvage [Pickett’s] career into being some sort of game manager, but even that’s a little bit hopeful. I’m trying to sell myself here … on a guy who can hopefully become a game manager, and that doesn’t feel great.”
Kenny Pickett on Cusp of Contract Year in 2025
Pickett, a former first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022 (No. 20 overall), is entering the final season of his four-year rookie contract worth a little north of $14 million overall.
Cleveland sent a fifth-round selection and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a former fifth-rounder himself, to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for Pickett in March. The 27-year-old Pickett faces an uphill battle against two rookies who have a better claim on ultimately developing into the future of the Browns franchise based on their respective ages and the fact that neither of them has any regular-season tape yet. So while either Sanders or Gabriel could be a bust, either could also develop into a massive bargain as fifth-round and third-round picks, respectively.
Pickett has a record of 15-10 as a starter with 4,765 passing yards, 15 TDs and 14 INTs over the course of his three-year career to this point.
Joe Flacco Has Advantage Over Kenny Pickett Heading Into Training Camp
Flacco has a built-in advantage in that he is already familiar with Stefanski’s offense after starting five games for the Browns (4-1) down the stretch of the 2023 season.
The 40-year-old quarterback led Cleveland to the playoffs that season, though the team lost in the first round to the Houston Texans.
Flacco played last season with the Indianapolis Colts and returned to the Browns this offseason. He has taken fewer snaps than any of the team’s four quarterbacks through mandatory minicamp, though that isn’t necessarily an indicator of where he will fall on the depth chart given how much more experience he has with the Browns’ offense and in the NFL in general than all three of his counterparts.
Cleveland will open training camp roughly one month from now, with different players reporting between July 18-22.
