Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett are the veteran frontrunners in the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback competition, but the 40-year-old Flacco isn’t letting the battle for the starting job distract him.
The Browns acquired Pickett in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason after he served as the backup to Jalen Hurts during their Super Bowl run. Flacco returned to Cleveland in free agency following a strong showing in 2023, when he helped lead the team to the playoffs.
Cleveland added to the mix by drafting Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth, setting up a four-man race under center. While the rookies are seen as long shots to start right away, most expect either Pickett or Flacco to be under center in Week 1.
Now entering his 18th NFL season, Flacco is no stranger to quarterback competitions, and he’s staying focused on what he can control.
“I think we are all aware of that,” Flacco said. “It’s not necessarily talked about between the two of us but you obviously have a little bit of insight as to what they may be thinking. If I’m focusing on Kenny or Kenny is focusing on me, then we are super focused on that, in general, it’s the wrong mindset to be in to be at your best. It’s natural for those things to come into your head, but you try to do your best to get them out and be with the guys in the moment.”
Browns QB Joe Flacco Seeing Lighter Workload
The Browns know what to expect from Flacco. It’s led to him receiving a light workload in offseason workouts and camp. However, he has figured out how to navigate it.
“You’re still out here grinding, going through a lot of individual. We ran like 20 plays total anyway. It’s not like we had a heavy load. It’s just staying locked in and staying focused during the meeting time, which is a lot of what we’re doing right now,” Flacco said. “The thing for me, if you’re not getting a ton of reps out there and only a certain amount of throws through individual, maybe keeping an equipment guy out and playing some long toss just to make sure your arm is still getting the load it’s got over the last three to four weeks.”
Flacco came off the couch and went 4-1 as a starter for the Browns in 2023, throwing for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns. He went on to win Comeback Player of the Year for his play. He spent last season with the Indianapolis Colts, passing for 1761 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in six starts.
Kenny Pickett Feeling ‘Good’ on Standing With Browns
Pickett was a first-round pick in 2022 of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He spent two years as the starter in Pittsburgh, posting a 14-10 record. He notched 4,474 yards, 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in a Steelers uniform. Pickett played sparingly with the Eagles last season, completing 25-of-42 passes while with the Eagles, collecting 291 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Pickett aims to get his career back on track with the Browns and believes he has put himself in a solid position.
“I feel great about it,” Pickett said. “Right now, it’s just taking it a day at a time, let everything else play out. Going back through the installs, having a chance to train the system over summer and work the footwork and everything I think helped me a lot. I felt a lot more comfortable yesterday just having a chance to rep a lot of those things over the last five weeks. So really just taking a day at a time.”
The Browns have said they want to decide on their starting quarterback “sooner than later.” Cleveland’s first preseason game is on Aug. 8.
