The Cleveland Browns are through two preseason games and still don’t have a firm grasp on who is going to be the starting quarterback for Week 1 of the regular season.
It’s unclear if their impressive performances will make a lasting impression on the decision-makers, but Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel both showed plenty of positive traits in their preseason debuts, which is why one analyst believes it’s time to move on from one veteran QB.
Analyst Matt Fontana shared on X that the rookies have shown enough for the Browns to trade Kenny Pickett.
“I really think Sanders and Gabriel have shown enough for the Browns to move on from Pickett at this point. Sucks Kenny got hurt but it is what it is. I’d rather see the rookies get the regular season play time/practice reps,” Fontana wrote.
I really think Sanders and Gabriel have shown enough for the Browns to move on from Pickett at this point
Sucks Kenny got hurt but it is what it is. I'd rather see the rookies get the regular season play time/practice reps
— Matt Fontana (@MattFontana83) August 16, 2025
Cleveland traded a fifth-round pick for Kenny Pickett early in the offseason, and it was repeatedly stated that he’d have every chance to start since he is an ideal fit in Kevin Stefanski’s offense, and he has a lot of traits that could be tapped into that could elevate his game to a new level.
Joe Flacco appears to have pulled away in the competition, and it was always going to be hard to justify keeping the two veterans.
The tricky part is that even if Cleveland does want to trade Pickett, he hasn’t even participated in 11-on-11 drills in camp due to his hamstring injury, so it’s unclear what his value is at the moment.
The Browns also just dealt a fifth-round pick for him, so the optics of trading him for anything less than that in return would be poor.
Hopefully, Pickett can get back on the field in full capacity soon and remind everyone why he was a first-round pick and why the Browns traded for him, but a trade is certainly a possibility due to the rookies gaining steam.
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