Sportsnaut
Is Kenny Pickett the internal favorite to be the Cleveland Browns’ starter heading into preseason? One prominent player on Cleveland’s offense thinks so.
“I think they are going to roll with Kenny for right now,” new wide receiver Diontae Johnson told the “Sports and Suits” podcast [h/t NFL.com]. “I’ve been seeing Kenny going like right now with the ones. Then Joe [Flacco] will come in. I think they are probably going to roll with him. He’s coming off a season with Philly and having a Super Bowl. So, I think they are going to stick with him through the preseason.”
Related: Cleveland Browns reporter names which QB is standing out so far in competition
One of the biggest stories in the NFL this summer will be who wins the Browns’ starting QB job. The team has put itself in a difficult spot by using financial and draft assets to bring in four different signal callers this offseason. Many believe that veterans Flacco and Pickett have a leg up on rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
However, the assumption of many is that Flacco is the odds-on favorite to lead the offense in the summer and into camp. Due to his previous history with the team. The 40-year-old joined Cleveland midway through the 2023 season. Helping lead them to the playoffs after DeShaun Watson suffered a season-ending injury. And backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson disappointed when given the starting job.
It is interesting that it seems like the former Pittsburgh Steelers starter is the early favorite. Especially since he is new to the team. The Browns acquired the 2022 first-round pick in March in exchange for Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round draft pick in April.
Pickett was given close to two full seasons to try and show he could be a franchise QB in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, the Steelers did not see enough progress in his 25 starts. And moved on from him after posting a 15-10 record as their starter.
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