Former first-round quarterback Kenny Pickett is on his third team in four NFL seasons. But Pro Football Sports Network’s Jacob Infante didn’t rule out Pickett needing to find a fourth team by the end of the 2025 preseason.
Infante named Pickett a “shocking” cut candidate for the Cleveland Browns on Friday.
“The range of outcomes is incredibly broad for Kenny Pickett. He could end up becoming the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback, or he could end up released altogether,” wrote Infante.
“Pickett has started in 25 NFL games with a 15-10 record as the starter. However, he’s thrown just 15 touchdowns to 14 interceptions and has only averaged 158.8 passing yards per game. Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders both have higher ceilings as rookies. If Pickett can’t beat out Joe Flacco, he could be on his way out of Cleveland entirely.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Pickett at No. 20 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. But after just two years with the team, Pittsburgh traded Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles in a deal that included a draft pick exchange.
Pickett won the Super Bowl as a backup to quarterback Jalen Hurts last season. The Eagles dealt Pickett to the Browns in March.
Could Browns Cut QB Kenny Pickett?
The fourth-year quarterback is a tough spot as NFL training camp approaches.
Pickett offers something in the middle of what 40-year-old veteran Joe Flacco and rookie signal-callers Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders bring to the table. That’s potentially good and bad for Pickett.
The good is Pickett has NFL experience and still a potential future in the league. Gabriel and Sanders have zero experience while Flacco might be entering his final season.
If Pickett wins the starting job, then he could, in theory, hold off both Browns rookie quarterbacks and became Cleveland’s long-term starter. The former first-round pick showed promise, at times, in two years with the Steelers, and is still only 27 years old.
Pickett is 15-10 as an NFL starter. He has completed 62.4% of his passes for an average of 6.3 yards per attempt with 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 30 career games.
However, should Pickett not win the starting job, it makes sense that he would potentially be on the chopping block.
Should the Browns want the most experienced starter behind center to begin 2025, that’s Flacco. If the Browns are willing to go through growing pains in the hopes of developing a high-upside quarterback for the future, then Gabriel and Sanders would be the top choice.
Pickett has both experience and some long-term upside. But he doesn’t have the most of either among the quarterbacks on Cleveland’s roster.
Pickett May Have to Win Starting Job to Save Roster Spot
The other obstacle Pickett faces to avoid being cut this summer is the fact he faces competition with two rookie quarterbacks.
The Browns selected both Gabriel and Sanders during the 2025 NFL Draft. While neither were picked in the first two rounds, both would likely have to perform poorly for Cleveland to move on after just one summer.
With Gabriel and Sanders all but guaranteed roster spots, Pickett will more closely compete with Flacco this summer.
Pickett may need to outplay Flacco to have a roster spot. Otherwise, Pickett has to hope the Browns elect to keep four quarterbacks.
Reports about how the former 2022 first-rounder performed during offseason workouts were mixed at best. But it wasn’t a great sign that after trading for Pickett, the Browns have added three more quarterbacks.
