Browns roster QB battle will include Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco and maybe a rookie
The Cleveland Browns quarterback situation has yet to be fully resolved, with very little certainty. The team has two quarterbacks on their roster, with a rookie quarterback eventually joining the fray after the NFL Draft. Quarterback Kenny Pickett was acquired via trade earlier this offseason, while fan favorite Joe Flacco was signed just recently.
The assumption that many believe is that Flacco will be the starter once the team begins OTA’s. It’s not a guarantee that Flacco is the assumed starter as Pickett has claimed he is not there to be a bystander, but instead looking to win the starting job.
Make no mistake, Pickett could be the starting quarterback when it’s all said and done.
Don’t believe that? Flacco said there are no assumptions about who the starter is:
“I don’t think there’s any expectation on who’s going to be the starting QB,” – @JoeFlacco on the Browns upcoming QB battle. pic.twitter.com/itSHcHU6n5
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) April 16, 2025
Browns have nothing to lose if they were to start Pickett over Flacco
Let’s get this out the way, Pickett is not a franchise quarterback. Is he a starter? Not necessarily. He’s a backup at best. However, we can’t assume that Flacco gives the team the best chance to win if he were to start a full season, either.
Nostalgia can cloud one’s judgment and we need to be honest with ourselves about Flacco. Flacco wasn’t brought back to Cleveland the first time for a reason. It wasn’t just because quarterback Deshaun Watson told the team not to bring him back, it’s because the team chose to go in a different direction.
Pickett or Flacco (Just like Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in New York) aren’t the best options out there, but Cleveland has nothing to lose if they were to give Pickett the nod over Flacco. If Pickett outplays Flacco in training camp and in the preseason, it wouldn’t be a fluke. Instead, it will be because head coach Kevin Stefanski believes that Pickett earned the right to start due to the work that he put in.
Flacco is probably closer to being done than playing football at a competent level which opens the door for Pickett to steal the job. Pickett has his limitations, but we’ve seen stranger things happen before. Worst case scenario, if Pickett loses the starting job to Flacco later in the year.
Don’t rule out the possibility of Pickett starting for Cleveland, not because the Browns believe in him, but more so the fact that Pickett worked hard enough to take the starting job.
It’s a quarterback battle that many will be following closely.
What chance do you give Pickett to be the starter in 2025 over Flacco?
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