After the Browns’ training camp practice on Saturday, July 26, the final session without pads, quarterback Kenny Pickett informed the coaching and training staff that he was experiencing discomfort in his hamstring. This is unfortunate not only for Kenny Pickett but for the Cleveland Browns as well, since Pickett was having a surprisingly strong start to camp, taking a majority of the reps with the first string. While this is a setback for the team, one that we are yet to determine the length of, as we expect to hear more later this week, there can still be a silver lining for Browns fans.

Next Man Up

While Pickett is sidelined for an undisclosed amount of time, this opens up reps for not just Joe Flacco, but also the rookie quarterbacks, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. An already crowded quarterback room with Pickett in the fray. Now, the quarterbacks have some breathing room, being able to get a more traditional rep split that we typically see in the NFL between three total quarterbacks instead of four.

Legendary

By all accounts, mine included, Shedeur Sanders has looked impressive over the past few days at training camp. This can be the moment for the 5th round pick to stake his claim as the future starter of this Cleveland browns team. With more reps opened up, and shaky play from fellow rookie quarterback, Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur should be eyeing this as his opportunity to stake his claim and prove his doubters, who let him slip to the 5th round, wrong. While Sanders hasn’t gotten any first-team reps yet, I fully expect that with the Pickett injury, we will see Sanders get a chance with the starter as soon as this week.

Flacco-Mania

Joe Flacco is another quarterback who is important to note in this Pickett injury situation. Flacco and Pickett seemed to be the main two quarterbacks vying for the starting quarterback position, at least for week one. With Pickett now down, Flacco will take more reps, something he wasn’t doing because, at his age, he honestly didn’t need to. Flacco getting an uptick in reps may solidify him as the best starting option for the Browns, week one against the Bengals, reigniting Flacco-Mania, something many Browns fans wanted anyway.

Targets in Trouble

While this situation can be viewed as a positive for some of the quarterbacks on the Browns, the same can not be said for the wide receivers. The Browns’ offense before the Pickett injury seemed to finally be gaining chemistry with each other after a rough start to camp. Now with a new rotation of quarterbacks, receivers such as Jerry Jeudy, and even camp darling Luke Floriea will have to adjust to a different rhythm of passers than what they were used to. This is definitely something that could hurt offensive production for the next few days.

The Kenny Pickett injury is an unfortunate situation for both Kenny and the Browns. While no one ever wants to see an injury, and hopefully it is only a minor setback despite signs pointing to it being something bigger, this may also help the Browns look towards their rookies and ultimately start the best option on the team. Either way, I wish Pickett a fast recovery and that at the end of the day, the best quarterback on the Browns roster is the week one starter.