A quarterback competition in Cleveland draws more attention than the NBA and NHL Finals. Every video of OTA’s on social media is dissected. Frankly they’re over analyzed. How a rookie throws against air in a t-shirt and shorts has nothing to do with being a potential NFL starter. The Browns have four quarterbacks vying for three positions on the final 53-man roster, but fans have already decided who they want. Some fans are ready to relive the 2023 season with Joe Flacco. Some are convinced fifth-round draft choice Shedeur Sanders has to be the guy. Very few are giving third-round pick Dillion Gabriel any chance, mainly because of his height. The fourth quarterback, Kenny Pickett has already been traded by most of the fans. But, why not Kenny Pickett?

Pickett was the first-round draft pick of the Pittsburg Steelers in 2022 (20th). HIs high draft selection was based on his play in his last year at the University of Pittsburg. In 2021 Pickett was 11-2 as a starter. He was 334 of 497, (67.2%) for 4319 yards, 42 touchdowns and a QBR of 165.3. All were career highs. In his rookie year with the Steelers, he was 7-5 as a starter completing 245 out of 389 attempts (63.0%), 2404 yards, seven touchdowns and a QBR of 76.7. He did throw nine interceptions and was sacked 27 times. He also rushed for 237 yards on 55 attempts for a 4.3 average and three touchdowns.

Following the signing of quarterback Russell Wilson, Pickett asked for a trade and the Steelers obliged sending him to cross-state rival Philidelphia. The trade request was treated by a majority of Pittsburg’s fans as an indication Pickett didn’t want to compete for the starters job, while a smaller portion of fans felt he had been mistreated by the organization. One of Pickett’s biggest supporters has been Steeler great Terry Bradshaw.  “They should have never gotten rid of [Kenny] Pickett,” Bradshaw said during the FOX pregame show in December of 2024. Bradshaw added that he had the same opinion prior to the Steelers’ three-game losing streak.” Last week Bradshaw said, “‘I liked Kenny Pickett,’ Bradshaw said during his interview on 103.7 The Buzz’s Morning Mayhem Show. “I liked him at Pitt. I know him, I know what he’s like. When they got him to Pittsburgh, they didn’t protect him, they didn’t get him an offensive line. They wanted to run the football, but they didn’t have an offensive line that could protect, and they didn’t have weapons. He had no wide receivers to speak of. Then they throw a kid in there for two years and you’ve got an offense that doesn’t fit and doesn’t work, and they can’t run because their offensive line’s not even good enough for a run blocking team. Now, they’re saying Kenny Pickett is a failure. He wasn’t a failure; the Steelers were a failure.”

At last month’s NFL owners’ meetings, new Saints head coach and former Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was asked about Pickett’s fresh start with the Browns. “Transitions are huge for quarterbacks,” Moore said. “Sometimes a fresh start can be very, very valuable. Kenny came to us obviously going through an experience where he played a lot at Pittsburgh really early. We were really excited to get him, and I feel like his growth just took off as the season progressed, and you can certainly see the player that showed up in OTAs versus the player who played against Dallas late in the year. A very different player. The confidence was there. I thought he played (at) a really high level.” He added, “I think he’s got a good arm,” Moore said. “He’s got a great kind of patience to him as far as his understanding of the game, his ability to process at a really high level. I think he’s got some sneaky athleticism that allows him to make plays off schedule and out in space. He was very valuable to us to help us late in the year when Jalen wasn’t available.”

Pickett will now be playing in the same offense he played in college. He was 15-10 as a starter in the NFL. Of those fifteen wins, six were fourth quarter comeback wins. He’s in the fourth year of his rookie contract and is only 27 years old. Because the Browns traded for him prior to signing Flacco and drafting Gabriel and Sanders, I believe Pickett will be given every opportunity to win the starting position.