The Cleveland Browns have one of the most unpredictable quarterback rooms going into a season for an NFL team in recent memory. A veteran like Joe Flacco is their best bet at a competitive season, but the roster also has two rookies in the form of Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
While those three have seen the most amount of attention, the fourth name, Kenny Pickett, has flown under the radar. A former first-round pick himself, Pickett was brought to Cleveland thanks to a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. And one analyst believes the former Pittsburgh product can shock everyone this season.
Could Kenny Pickett Beat Shedeur Sanders, Joe Flacco, and Dillon Gabriel?
Pickett came to the NFL as a five-year collegiate veteran from the Pittsburgh Panthers. A Golden Arm Award winner, he was an All-American, as well as ACC Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year in 2021.
Joining the league, he was immediately thrust into a starting role with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he started 24 out of 25 games played. Unfortunately, he was far from excellent, even though the Steelers made the playoffs in 2023.
But Pittsburgh and head coach Mike Tomlin wanted a different direction, leading to a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he served as a backup to Jalen Hurts en route to a victory in Super Bowl 59.
This offseason, the Browns added him to their ragtag group of quarterbacks in exchange for a fifth-round pick and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. But he’s been the most underdiscussed participant of the quarterback competition in Cleveland.
While a former Super Bowl champion like Flacco garners a ton of attention, and so do the two rookies, especially Sanders, after his dramatic falloff from a first-round prospect to a fifth-round pick, Pickett remains marginalized.
However, Aditi Kinkhabwala believes he has a chance to prove the doubters wrong this season. Speaking on 92.3 The Fan, she broke down the pathway for Pickett to emerge as a starter for Cleveland this upcoming season.
“Give him the benefit of the doubt that he actually learns, that he knows what it means to be out in position to succeed, that he’s taken those lessons and that he’s created a good enough rapport with Kevin Stefanski that Kevin’s going to be able to help him be better than what you’ve seen.”
Kinkhabwala, however, wasn’t saying it was necessarily a guarantee that the former 20th overall pick would find success. Instead, “It is the fact that you’re all writing him off before he even gets a chance.” To make her case, she didn’t have to look much further than the Browns roster itself.
“Two years ago, Joe Flacco was written off. He was sitting on his couch and then look at what he did.” It’s impossible to predict if Pickett can follow a similar trajectory. But Kinkhabwala’s point is all about not making a verdict without the necessary evidence.
So far, through OTAs and minicamp, thanks to a compilation of stats from ESPN Cleveland, Pickett has thrown for seven touchdowns while completing 38 of his 63 attempted passes (60.3%), while getting reps with the first team, unlike Sanders.
Here are the QB totals from the 5 Browns open media practices (OTAs and minicamp) this spring.
Who do you think should be the Browns QB1? pic.twitter.com/daBfqHvn58
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) June 12, 2025
The likely bet is that Flacco is the starter, at least to begin the year, especially after leading the Browns to a playoff berth in 2023. But Pickett’s numbers were demonstrably better than the former Baltimore Ravens star.
Maybe it might not be a complete shock if he does take over the QB1 role by the time September rolls around.
