Former Steelers QB Struggling With Browns

It appears former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett is having a rough go of it with the Cleveland Browns.

Following the first handful of OTA practices last week, ESPN Cleveland's Aaron Goldhammer ranked Pickett last among Cleveland's four signal callers currently battling it out for the starting job and even went so far as to say that he was "the consensus worst player" there.

A week later, Pickett handled first-team responsibilities in 11-on-11 drills during Wednesday's session and threw "multiple near" interceptions according to The Chronicle-Telegram's Scott Petrak, though he did also find Jerry Jeudy for a touchdown.

This comes after The Athletic's Zac Jackson declared Joe Flacco as the favorite to snag the top spot on the Browns' depth chart over Pickett on May 29, and the latter didn't appear to improve his standing in that regard over recent days.

"Joe Flacco, an 18-year veteran who’s played under Stefanski before,should be well ahead of rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders," Jackson wrote. "Flacco is probably ahead of Kenny Pickett, too. Flacco throws the ball in a practice setting better than any of them. Add his overall experience, and he’s the favorite to win the job, unless Stefanski and others in the organization just favor Pickett — or unless Pickett outplays Flacco in the coming months."

As harsh as it may sound, this may be Pickett's last real shot to land a starting role in the NFL. The 2022 first-round pick was lauded as the Steelers' franchise quarterback after leading Pitt to an ACC Championship and finishing third in Heisman Trophy voting as a senior, but he simply never settled into a groove with the organization.

Offensive coordinator Matt Canada did him no favors during their time together, but Pickett threw for 4,474 yards, 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions over 25 games with the Steelers before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason.

He won a Super Bowl as Jalen Hurts' backup this past year, but he was dealt once again back in March and will look to revitalize his career in a return to the AFC North.

There's plenty of time for Pickett, who had his fifth-year option declined, to turn things around and set himself apart from the likes of Flacco, rookie third-round pick Dillon Gabriel and rookie fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders during training camp this summer, but the early results in Cleveland haven't been overly positive.