The Cleveland Browns have a very crowded quarterback room right now. With Deshaun Watson still recovering from his Achilles tear, the quarterback room currently has four players. Joe Flacco is back with the franchise, and the team acquired former first-round pick Kenny Pickett in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Browns took Dillon Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round. With OTAs this week, fans and analysts got their first chance to see who is in pole position to win the starting job. One analyst thought Flacco was the best, but had a very clear answer for who was the worst.
Cleveland Browns QB Kenny Pickett Struggling
ESPN Cleveland’s Aaron Goldhammer did a round-up of what he was seeing at OTAs this week. “Consensus worst player at OTAs, Kenny Pickett,” he said. Pickett stated earlier in the offseason that he plans to compete for the starting job. After the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to move on from him, he went to the Eagles and backed up Jalen Hurts, picking up a Super Bowl ring in the process. However, it seems he is not doing enough to separate himself, and NFL insider Mike Florio revealed Pickett could be cut or traded before training camp.
“I don’t think they’re taking those four to camp. I think one of those guys will be gone, traded or cut, and replaced with a true camp arm who’s there to help get through the individual drills… Put me down for they are going to trade Kenny Pickett before camp.”
It makes sense that Pickett would be the odd man out. The team isn’t going to cut the rookies they just drafted. Flacco is the one veteran in the room and is the odds-on favorite to be the starter in week 1. It will be interesting to see if they can get any team to trade for him or whether they will have to simply cut him.
Who Will Win The Starting Job?
Flacco has the inside edge for a few reasons. He is the veteran in the room and has a floor of competency. While he may not make the Cleveland Browns a Super Bowl contender, he would make them competitive on offense. In 2023, he led the team to a playoff appearance after the team suffered multiple quarterback injuries. However, this doesn’t mean starting the Super Bowl-winning quarterback is a slam dunk.
Gabriel and Sanders have reportedly shown promise in OTAs, and the team might decide to see what they have in these two players rather than play Flacco, who is in the twilight of his career. Who starts will likely depend on how the team is doing. If they start hot and have a shot at a playoff spot, I would expect Flacco to get the nod. However, if the Cleveland Browns struggle out of the gate, head coach Kevin Stefanski may see what his rookies can do.
