Kenny Pickett may not be the long-term answer for the Cleveland Browns, but he could still bring value, just not necessarily on the field.
Pickett arrived in Cleveland this offseason via trade in March. The former first-round pick is viewed by some as the most valuable trade piece in Cleveland’s crowded quarterback room, especially with potential interest brewing from a familiar face.
Browns radio analyst Nathan Zegura floated the possibility that New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore — Pickett’s former offensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles — could look to reunite with the quarterback if things falter in New Orleans with their current situation.
“Probably at this point, Kenny Pickett,” Zegura said when asked which quarterback could bring the most return in a trade. “He’s a former first-round pick, he is young, and went 15-10 as a starter. It would be interesting, for example, if down in New Orleans — Kellen Moore was just with him in Philly — said that it’s not working out with Tyler Shough, maybe we need to bring him down here to be the starter and see what he has.”
Kenny Pickett Could Find Career Resurgence With Browns
Zegura also noted that Pickett is still firmly in the conversation as the starter and brings some upside for the Browns. He pointed out that some quarterbacks have found success after a few stops, as seen in cases like Sam Darnold.
“From the Browns’ standpoint, No. 1, you are trying to win games this year. Kenny Pickett has been a winning quarterback in this division and the National Football League,” Pickett said. “Certainly, there’s a reason he’s now on his third team, but we’ve seen guys bounce around and have a career resurgence.”
There have been some doubts about Pickett’s ability to win the starting job. He’s competing against rookies Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and fellow veteran Joe Flacco.
Flacco, 40, won Comeback Player of the Year with the Browns in 2023, going 4-1 as a starter and helping Cleveland reach the playoffs. He passed for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns over that stretch.
“The Eagles essentially gave Kenny Pickett away,” NFL Network analyst Gregg Rosenthal said recently. “If we’re going to spend this whole offseason saying Howie Roseman is the best general manager in the game — and they could certainly use a good backup at a low price — and he basically decided to give Kenny Pickett away because Tanner McKee is a better quarterback than he is…
“Ultimately, I think Joe Flacco is going to be a better quarterback than [Pickett], and Shedeur Sanders will wind up being a backup or a third-string quarterback.”
Browns Waiting on Establishing Depth Chart
The Cleveland Browns closed out OTAs and minicamp with all four quarterbacks continuing to split reps. While the team remains in evaluation mode, there’s been no sign of a clear pecking order emerging.
“We’re so far away from that type of thought process,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said during minicamp. “Honestly, we’re in our installation phase. It’s the offseason; it’s OTAs, so we’re going to keep the focus there. Once you get into training camp, of course, you’re getting ready to play games and ultimately getting ready for the season. But right now that’s not our focus.”
Cleveland will need to start sorting out its quarterback depth chart when training camp opens on July 22. The Browns kick off their preseason schedule on August 8 against the Carolina Panthers.
