The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback situation just got a lot more interesting after a tough break for Kenny Pickett. According to reports, Pickett suffered a hamstring injury during the closing moments of practice on Saturday, and he’s now set for further evaluation to determine how serious the issue is. With Pickett sidelined—at least for the short term—the Browns are wasting no time adjusting in practice. Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and, of course, Joe Flacco are all expected to get more work with the first-team offense.
Heading into camp, the Browns’ QB depth chart looked like a two-horse race: Joe Flacco, with all his battle-tested experience, facing off against the younger, upside-rich Pickett. Both were operating ahead of rookie newcomers Sanders and Gabriel. But Pickett’s injury swings the door wide open. With additional first-team reps up for grabs, the two rookies now have a genuine chance to make some noise, and Flacco will be given every chance to shine in the process.
Let’s zoom out for a second. Cleveland overhauled its quarterback room after Deshaun Watson re-injured his Achilles. With Watson expected to miss the entire 2025 season, the Browns doubled down on experience and youth. They brought back Flacco, traded for Super Bowl 59 champion Pickett—the former Eagles backup to Jalen Hurts—and added Gabriel (94th overall pick) and Sanders (144th overall pick) in this year’s draft.
Pickett’s path here is pretty wild in itself. After starting his career with the Steelers and notching a 14-10 record (matching his 13 touchdowns to 13 interceptions), he was traded to Philadelphia, where he picked up a Super Bowl ring backing up Hurts. Now, with the Browns, he’s been considered a front-runner to lead the offense, battling Flacco for the top spot.
Joe Flacco, meanwhile, isn’t just a placeholder—he’s a proven veteran who has already succeeded under head coach Kevin Stefanski. After joining Cleveland midseason in 2023, Flacco played arguably his best football in years, bagging Comeback Player of the Year honors and sparking the Browns to an 11-6 record and a playoff berth that no one saw coming.
With Pickett’s hamstring injury, the Browns’ quarterback competition takes on another layer of intrigue. If Pickett’s absence stretches into the preseason, the team’s rookies—Sanders and Gabriel—could really start to turn heads. Both are seen as developmental talents with unique skillsets, and with more first-team snaps, both will have early opportunities to stake their claim.
Still, if Pickett can return in short order, Cleveland will almost certainly want to return to plan A: a thorough look at him as their potential QB1. He offers more upside than Flacco and, unlike the rookies, brings real starting experience. But nothing is set in stone, and as we’ve seen already this offseason, life comes at you fast in the NFL—especially if you’re calling the shots at quarterback in Cleveland.
