NFL Insider Delivers Bad News to Kenny Pickett on Browns Future

The Cleveland Browns are still in the discovery phase when it comes to the four active quarterbacks on their preseason roster, but the time for serious decision-making is fast approaching.

NFL insider Peter Schrager of ESPN appeared on the Tuesday, June 17 edition of “The Pat McAfee Show” and predicted that the Browns will trade one of their two veteran signal-callers — either Kenny Pickett or Joe Flacco — before the summer is out. Based on his comments and on the franchise’s recent history, it’s likely to be Pickett who is hunting for new employment come August and/or September.

“I would be surprised personally if both of those veteran quarterbacks are still on the roster come Week 1, and you have the two rookies,” Schrager said.

“Usually in a situation like this … you have the two veterans go at it. One of those guys is your veteran, and then you probably keep both rookies and you dress maybe one of them,” he continued. “You’ve got Flacco as your starter Week 1, Shedeur [Sanders] or [Dillon] Gabriel as your backup, then you got one who’s not active, not dressed, but is obviously still on the team.”

Joe Flacco’s Lack of Preseason Reps Doesn’t Reflect Standing With Browns

GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco.

Schrager’s prediction of Flacco starting in Week 1 appears counter-intuitive based on the fact that Pickett, Gabriel and Sanders have all taken more preseason snaps than he has to this point.

However, Flacco addressed that with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated earlier this spring.

“I’m not expecting to get priority and a million reps out there,” Flacco said. “It is my 18th year, and I think at this time of the year, it’s not necessarily a priority to get me the most reps.”

Breer offered an interpretation of Flacco’s situation on Monday that favors Schrager’s position.

“My rough translation is that Flacco is on the same page as [Browns head coach] Kevin Stefanski. He’s not coming back at his age to hold a clipboard,” Breer wrote. “There are some changes to the offense, with new coordinator Tommy Rees (who wasn’t on Stefanski’s staff when Flacco was there two years ago), but the bones of it remain the same. Thus, the staff had a lot more to learn about Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders this spring.”

Joe Flacco Likely to Have Short Leash if He Wins QB1 Job

GettyCleveland Browns quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel (left) and Shedeur Sanders (right).

All of that said, Flacco isn’t going to have the same kind of roster he did when he went 4-1 down the stretch of the 2023 regular season and led the Browns to the playoffs.

The 40-year-old quarterback’s rope is liable to be shorter considering how much incentive Cleveland has to find out what it’s got in both Gabriel and Sanders.

“I know that this year is going to be very important for Shedeur [Sanders] and Dillon Gabriel, and the reason is they’re both third-round and fifth-round picks,” Schrager said. “Cleveland traded back [in this year’s draft] and acquired Jacksonville’s first-round pick and their own first-round pick [in 2026]. When you have two first-round picks of teams that are not necessarily expected to be Super Bowl contenders, quarterback is always going to be looming in every conversation.”

“So I think [the Browns] are gonna wanna get those guys action — Gabriel and Sanders,” Schrager continued. “I think they’re gonna wanna have one veteran quarterback. I don’t know if there’s a value in having both of those veteran quarterbacks and then having two rookies on the roster as well.”