Next up on the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback carousel was Kenny Pickett yesterday, and things…could have gone better for the veteran. In his first practice taking the first reps, he tossed a couple of interceptions, though he finished with a touchdown. The former Steelers first-round pick is in what the team is calling a four-way quarterback competition, which will drag on throughout the offseason.
Pickett gets the first 11 on 11 rep. Flacco got it last week.
Lorenzo Thompson at left tackle with the first group. Teven Jenkins at left guard. Zinter now at right guard with second group.
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) June 4, 2025
Of course, the practical results during OTAs mean a lot less than, well, just about any context. This time of year is when players and teams could be working on any number of things. In other words, things frequently aren’t as good or as bad as they might initially appear.
Still, it never hurts to look good rather than bad, and I’m sure Kenny Pickett would like those throws back. Not only is he in a competition for a starting job, he is in a competition for a job, period. The Browns simply have too many quarterbacks to keep on the roster, so someone has to go.
The Browns acquired Pickett via trade earlier this offseason, but they haven’t stopped adding to the room since then. Shortly thereafter, they reunited with Joe Flacco, with whom they had success in 2023. During the 2025 NFL Draft, they added two quarterbacks: Dillon Gabriel on Round 3 and Shedeur Sanders in Round 5.
That’s not even mentioning Deshaun Watson, whom they still owe tens of millions of dollars, as he recovers from injury. If he is healthy enough to play this season, that add another complication to this entire ordeal. Of course, if they really wanted to, they could always just release him and eat the cost.
It should go without saying that Kenny Pickett won’t win or lose any jobs in June. But it’s also worth a word of caution that he has looked good before. In his second season, he has a near-perfect preseason, but followed it up with a regular season that saw him finish on the bench and caused the Steelers to pursue other short-term quarterback options.
Earlier this week, ESPN Cleveland radio host Aaron Goldhammer called Kenny Pickett the “consensus worst player at OTAs”. It appears he may have been referring exclusively to the quarterbacks though, but that’s still bad. Of course, Goldhammer wasn’t at OTAs and didn’t see for himself, but he claims he spoke to many people. For whatever that might be worth.
.@HammerNation19's ranking of Browns QBs at OTAs yesterday:
1. Joe Flacco
2. Shedeur Sanders
3. Dillon Gabriel
4. Kenny Pickett
"Consensus worst player at OTAs… Kenny Pickett" 😯
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/plHUgY99kB
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) May 29, 2025
While Kenny Pickett didn’t work out for the Steelers, the Browns hope they can salvage him. If they can’t, however, they haven’t exactly put all their eggs in one basket. Flacco is a fine one-year option, and it’s possible that one of their rookies develop. If not, then they’re likely to have a top-five draft pick sooner rather than later. Not that drafting quarterbacks in the first round has been a recipe for success for them in the past.
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