Kenny Pickett leads the race in the Cleveland Browns quarterback competition with Joe Fraco, Chedure Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
In March, the Browns added 2025 fifth rounder and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and Pickett to the roster.
Pickett, 26, was selected for the 20th overall pick in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2022 NFL Draft, making him 14-10 as a starter in two years.
He tallied 4,474 yards with a completion rate of 62.6 and threw 13 touchdown passes and 13 intercepts before moving to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024, serving as a backup for Jalen Harts.
Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Pickett is an early favourite for his starting job at Cleveland. Desshaun Watson continues to recover from Achilles’ injury.
Gabriel and Sanders, selected in the third and fifth rounds of the draft, are not expected to see much playing time throughout the early stages of their careers.
It was expected that 40-year-old veteran Flacco would start his season as QB1, but the momentum appears to be shaking with the goodwill of OTAs and Pickett as he approaches the essential mini-camp.
Flacco, a former Super Bowl MVP for the Baltimore Ravens, played with the Indianapolis Colts last season and shared the role of Start with Anthony Richardson.
Of the four Browns QBs, each could start their first week… @tonygrossi say:
Joe Flacco – 45%
Kenny Pickett – 40%
Chedur Sanders – 7.5%
Dilongabriel – 7.5% pic.twitter.com/h0fh15yqxs– ESPN Cleveland (@espncleland) May 19, 2025
The Browns’ expectations for the 2025 season are once again low, with the Sportsbook passing Cleveland and the best odds of having the worst regular season record in the NFL.
Their winning line is at 4.5, with Kevin Stefanski’s side considered an extreme long shot to reach the postseason, a joint record between the Tennessee Titans and the New York Giants after it went 3-14 last year.
Despite the latest reports, Flacco (-120) is still odds-on in the sportsbook, starting in week one, ahead of Pickett (+300), Sanders (+400), Gabriel (+900) and Watson (+3000).
