Steelers Now
Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett reportedly held the the top spot on the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback depth chart heading into OTAs, but that lead has since evaporated. According to Browns beat writer Zac Jackson, Pickett has lost ground in the quarterback competition, and Joe Flacco appears to be the new favorite to be Cleveland’s QB1.
“Joe Flacco, an 18-year veteran who’s played under Stefanski before, should be well ahead of rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. 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.” Jackson wrote.
ESPN Cleveland’s Aaron Goldhammer took it a step further and declared Pickett as the ‘consensus worst player’ at Browns OTAs, ranking Flacco, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel over him.
Pickett threw multiple near interceptions at the Browns’ OTAs on Wednesday but he had a touchdown to Jerry Jeudy, according to Scott Petrak of BrownsZone.com.
Kenny Pickett threw multiple near INTs today but here’s a TD to Jerry Jeudy pic.twitter.com/wZHkY8xzXZ
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) June 4, 2025
Pickett, who starred at the University of Pittsburgh, was drafted 20th overall by the Steelers in 2022. He was viewed as the long-term successor to Ben Roethlisberger, but his tenure in Pittsburgh fell short of expectations. He failed to throw a touchdown pass in his final six starts, and the offense often struggled to find any rhythm with him under center. The Steelers averaged just 13.6 points per game during that span, one of the worst marks in the NFL.
Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported in April that Cleveland was really high on Pickett.
“I think they are really, really high on Kenny Pickett,” Cabot said on 92.3 The Fan.
“The way that everyone talked up Kenny Pickett at the NFL annual meeting, the way Kenny Pickett is talking about himself, I think the Browns are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with him, in the same way, some other teams have with former first-round picks who show promise early on but needed a change of scenery.”
Pickett, who was the first-round draft pick of the Steelers in 2022, was a part of the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning team in 2024. In March, Philadelphia traded Pickett Browns for a 2025 fifth-round pick and Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
If Pickett gets a chance to start with Cleveland, he’ll be the first former Steelers quarterback to start for the Browns since Bill Nelsen (1968-72).
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Kenny Pickett Has Struggled Mightily with Browns at OTAs: ‘Consensus Worst Player’
