It seemed as if, as of July 28, Kenny Pickett going down with a worrisome hamstring injury essentially guaranteed that veteran Joe Flacco will be the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback for Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7.
However, according to an update shared by Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on Friday, Cleveland could "ease" Pickett back into practices soon.
"He won’t have a full workload but might participate in some individual drills and get back into the swing of things," Cabot wrote.
Cleveland is scheduled to have a joint practice with the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 6 before their preseason matchup on Aug. 8.
"If Pickett participates in the joint practice with the Panthers, it will also likely be on a limited basis, and then he’ll most likely sit out the game," Cabot continued.
The Browns are scheduled to have multiple joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles before meeting at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field on Aug. 16. While Cabot indicated that neither Flacco nor Pickett will take snaps in the game against the Eagles, that doesn't necessarily mean head coach Kevin Stefanski has already chosen his Week 1 QB1.
"If [Pickett] can increase his workload by the joint practices in Philly, against their championship attack-minded defense, he’ll have a decent chance to remain firmly in the mix for the Week 1 start," Cabot added.
Browns general manager, Andrew Berry, seems willing to have four quarterbacks on the active roster for the Cincinnati contest. That said, there's no indication 2025 third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel or 2025 fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders has a legitimate chance to win the Week 1 starting job before the Browns conclude the preseason against the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 23.
As of Friday afternoon, FanDuel Sportsbook had Flacco as the betting favorite at -113 odds to serve as Cleveland's Week 1 starter. Pickett was at +190 odds, followed by Gabriel at +520. Sanders was a massive +1300 betting underdog.
For now, it sounds like Pickett needs to focus on being as healthy as possible for the joint practices with the Eagles that will take place later in August. If he's still a limited participant at that time, Stefanski may feel he has no other choice but to get Flacco ready to face the Bengals on Sept. 7.
Browns get important Kenny Pickett injury update
The Cleveland Browns receive an important update regarding quarterback Kenny Pickett's hamstring injury during training camp.
Quarterback Kenny Pickett recently suffered a hamstring injury that has had him sidelined for several days. It's a less-than-ideal situation for Pickett and the Browns, as the organization is still determining who will be the starting quarterback to begin the 2025-26 season. On Friday, head coach Kevin Stefanski shared some good news about Pickett.
Reports indicate that the 27-year-old quarterback is expected to return to practice on Friday, according to Scott Petrak of the Chronicle-Telegram and Medina Gazette. It will be a limited practice for Kenny Pickett, and he will not participate in team drills.
“Browns QB Kenny Pickett (hamstring) will return to practice today in [a] limited role. Won't do team stuff, Kevin Stefanski said.”
At the very least, it doesn't appear the hamstring injury is too serious for Kenny Pickett. Although he is only practicing in a limited role, he should progress to more practice time with his teammates as time goes on. Ideally, the former first-round pick should be good to go by the time the Browns play the Carolina Panthers in the preseason opener on August 8.
Kenny Pickett is one of several quarterbacks competing for the starting job in Cleveland. Veteran Joe Flacco, along with rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, are all in contention for playing time with Pickett. Meanwhile, Deshaun Watson is out with an Achilles injury, and he is expected to miss at least the first four games of the regular season.
Many believe that Kenny Pickett will get the starting nod come Week 1 when the Browns take on the Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener. But that is yet to be determined, especially with Pickett dealing with an injury. The last time Pickett served as a starter was in the 2023-24 season when he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
His tenure in Pittsburgh didn't last long, as the franchise traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles after just two seasons. Through three years of play, Kenny Pickett has recorded 4,765 passing yards and 15 touchdowns through the air while also throwing 14 interceptions. He owns a career 59.5% completion percentage.
