Kenny Pickett has been getting predictions to be the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback in 2025 for weeks.
From his own teammates, mind you.
With the Browns’ highly publicized training camp set to begin nine days from now, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round NFL draft pick and Super Bowl champion backup on the Philadelphia Eagles looks like a lock to win the starting job over Colorado Buffaloes football legend Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and Joe Flacco.
“It would not be surprising to see Pickett beat out the two rookies this preseason, especially with Gabriel being a third-round pick and Sanders slipping to the fifth round. Flacco’s entering his age-40 season, but he has experience in Stefanski’s system and a built-in rapport with starting tight end David Njoku. Flacco certainly makes the Browns a bigger threat down the field, but Pickett’s mobility and moxie could give him an edge and win over the Cleveland faithful this summer,” The Sporting News’s Ryan O’Leary wrote.
“Flacco still feels like the best bridge option for Cleveland, but Pickett’s battle-tested and spent the 2024 season on a Super Bowl championship roster. The 27-year-old could very well be the Week 1 starting quarterback that no one saw coming back in April.”
Pickett didn’t have the high pedigree of a Sam Darnold coming into the league. It might be a stretch to expect him to emerge in Cleveland like Darnold did last season with the Minnesota Vikings after years of stagnation with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers.
Of note, though, was Darnold being a backup on a successful San Francisco 49ers team that made Super Bowl LVIII. Pickett’s time with the Eagles may have changed his perspective after uneven years with the Steelers.
Perhaps that’s what Kevin Stefanski and Co. see in Berea.
They clearly aren’t seeing starting-quality material in Sanders, Gabriel, or Flacco.