The Cleveland Browns were rumored to be in the mix for a rookie and a veteran quarterback.
That’s why some fans sounded the alarms when they traded for Kenny Pickett.
Given how his career has fared so far, it’s hard to believe that they would feel comfortable putting the ball in Pickett’s hands to be the starter.
Nevertheless, given his youth and status as a former first-round pick, the team seems to believe there’s something to work with as a backup.
According to team insider Terry Pluto, the Browns like how he fits Kevin Stefanski’s offense.
More than that, it seems that they blame Matt Canada’s play-calling and offense for the dreadful start to his career:
> “The Browns believe they can put the 26-year-old Pickett in Stefanski’s play-action offense and revive his career. Pickett was a first-round pick in 2022 when the Steelers were desperate for someone to replace Ben Roethlisberger. To be fair to Pickett, Matt Canada was his offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh (2022-23). I thought he was awful, and that’s a general opinion in the NFL,” Pluto [said](https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2025/03/can-you-believe-how-browns-qb-search-is-going-terry-pluto.html).
Granted, it’s hard to argue with the Matt Canada part.
He was widely seen as one of the worst offensive coordinators in the game.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense was stagnant and outdated, and they rarely put him in a position to succeed.
Add their evident lack of talent to the mix, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Pickett entered the league with several red flags, and he was a part of one of the least impressive quarterback classes in recent times.
Even so, he’s on a cheap deal, is still young, and has experience in the league as a starter.
You could do a whole lot worse than having him as your backup, and depending on how the team organizes its quarterback room, the fans might feel a lot better about this move in the long run.
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