Depending on Pickett to start would all but guarantee another lost season for the Browns.
When the Cleveland Browns announced that they acquired quarterback Kenny Pickett from the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this offseason, most thought nothing of it.
Cleveland acquired Pickett for Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a late-round draft pick, seemingly indicating that this was a swap of quarterbacks not expected to start for their new teams. At least, that is how it was supposed to go, but in Cleveland, that may no longer be the case.
Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski recently stated his belief in Pickett - well, sort of.
"Obviously it's March 31, so there's still a draft to be had. It's not August 1st, so I will say this: Kenny Pickett's a guy that I believe in, that we believe in. So we'll see how it all shakes out.", said Stefanski to some members of the local media.
Stefanski's comments on Pickett should scare Browns fans
Granted, no one should expect Stefanski to say he does not believe in Pickett, and he did leave the door open for someone else to claim the starting quarterback job in Cleveland, but this sort of feels like Hue Jackson's "You gotta trust me on this one" regarding former Browns draft pick Cody Kessler.
Is this comparison a little harsh? Yeah, but it is not like Pickett has done anything to prove otherwise. There's a reason why Pickett is no longer in Pittsburgh and why the Eagles were willing to let him go to Cleveland via trade after all.
At best, Pickett represents a Plan Z at quarterback, meaning that Plans A-Y have all failed for one reason or another. Any scenario that has Pickett being the Week 1 starter for the Cleveland Browns would be the beginning of a very long season.
Not that anyone should expect the Browns to be a good team this season, but starting the year with Pickett at quarterback takes any potential hope for optimism with almost any alternative that exists and makes it completely non-existent.
There are other quarterback options for the Browns to explore between now and when the regular season starts, most notably Joe Flacco or Kirk Cousins. Even though anyone they acquire will most likely deliver middling results, they have at least actually accomplished something of note in this league, and that is not something that can be said about Pickett.
Flacco or Cousins represent quarterbacks who should be able to operate Cleveland's offense well enough that it gives the Browns a much better idea of what they can build upon offensively and what is in need of a complete and total overhaul.
Opting for Pickett would only provide more of the same underperforming offensive play that provides no real answers and only prolongs their irrelevance for no justifiable reason whatsoever.
Fans and analysts alike will have a pretty good idea of what type of season this will be for the Cleveland Browns once the Week 1 starter is officially announced. Hopefully, it is just about anyone besides Pickett.
