Browns QB Joe Flacco Offers Honest Take on Pickett’s Injury

Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco is looking to make the most of his increased workload with Kenny Pickett sidelined, though he’s unsure it will give him an edge in the competition for the starting job.

Pickett suffered a hamstring injury during Saturday’s training camp session and sat out Monday’s practice. He’s expected to be re-evaluated later in the week. In the meantime, Flacco is eager to take advantage of the extra reps.

“Of course,” Flacco said when asked about the opportunity for more snaps, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.

Flacco, 40, took most of the first-team reps on Monday after a slightly lighter load earlier in camp. With more than 200 career starts and experience in Cleveland’s system, the team has a clear sense of what he brings to the table.

As for how the injury affects his standing in the quarterback competition, Flacco isn’t sure.

“I’ve been trying to keep my head down this whole time anyway, so I really don’t (know),” he said. “Couldn’t say.”

Flacco acknowledged the timing of Pickett’s injury isn’t ideal but noted it could have come at a less opportune time.

“I think there’s worse timing,” Flacco said. “But at any point when you’ve been working so hard, you don’t want to see something like that.”

Browns Have No Timetable for Kenny Pickett’s Return

The Browns traded for Pickett in March, bringing the former first-round pick over from the Philadelphia Eagles. Pickett was a backup in Philadelphia to Jalen Hurts but he started his career in Pittsburgh.

He spent two seasons with the Steelers, compiling a 14-10 record as the starter while throwing for 4,474 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. Now in Cleveland, Pickett is aiming to revitalize his career, but the hamstring injury has stalled his momentum. The Browns don’t have a clear timeline for his return.

“I don’t have a timeline. You know, with something like this, we’ll see how it goes. But his mindset, my mindset, will just go day to day,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said on Monday. “I’m not going to get into specifics on the injury other than to tell you he’s going to do everything in his power to get back ASAP.”

Like Flacco, Stefanski is bummed for Pickett.

“For any player, you’re disappointed when you can’t be out there with any injury, but he’ll be fine. He’ll rehab, he’ll get back out very quickly,” Stefanski said. “We’ll re-evaluate it after this block, if you will. But again, disappointed for Kenny, but he’s here. He is getting better and we’ll see when he’s back out there.”

Sanders, Gabriel to Pick Up Extra Reps

The other beneficiaries of Pickett’s injury are rookie quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, who are expected to see increased reps with Pickett sidelined. The Browns have continued to stress that all four quarterbacks remain in the mix for the starting job.

“Obviously, everybody will get a little bit more because of how you’re going to distribute those reps,” Stefanski said. “I think it’s really dependent on the period, what we’re trying to accomplish in that period, and just moving these guys around, giving them some more exposure.”

Gabriel has seen limited action with the first-team offense, while Sanders has yet to take any snaps with the starters. It remains unclear if that will change in the coming days. The Browns open their preseason schedule on August 8 against the Carolina Panthers.