The Cleveland Browns will start the season with Joe Flacco at QB1.
He beat Kenny Pickett in what never seemed to be an actual QB competition, given that Pickett has been out for weeks with a hamstring injury.
That’s why, now that Pickett has been ruled out of the preseason finale vs. the Los Angeles Rams, team analyst Earl ‘Da Pearl’ Mauldin doesn’t think the Browns should carry Pickett on the 53-man roster:
“If Kenny Pickett makes the Browns roster as QB2 without taking a single preseason snap, that’s wild. He’s a former 1st-rounder who hasn’t been good in this league, and of all the QBs in camp he’s the only one we’ve never seen take a game snap (preseason or regular season) for the Browns. We as fans are supposed to believe that if something happens to Joe, we’re just cool with Pickett without ever seeing him play? Idk about all that. This whole 4-man QB ‘competition’ feels like it created more issues than answers,” Mauldin posted on X.
If Kenny Pickett makes the Browns roster as QB2 without taking a single preseason snap, that’s wild. He’s a former 1st-rounder who hasn’t been good in this league, and of all the QBs in camp he’s the only one we’ve never seen take a game snap (preseason or regular season) for the…
— Earl Da Pearl (@EarldaPearl216) August 21, 2025
It’s hard to disagree with any of that.
Pickett hasn’t looked like a legitimate starter when he’s been given a chance.
Of course, there was always a chance that he could’ve turned things around in a new system.
However, he’s missed crucial reps, and he’s going to be behind schedule.
Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders might be rookies and unprepared, but they could offer more upside.
This team also has some issues to address at other positions, and wasting another roster spot to have four quarterbacks doesn’t make that much sense.
The Browns have two first-round picks in next year’s stacked quarterback class.
That makes it even more important for them to figure out whether Gabriel or Sanders can be their franchise quarterback, and the only way to do so will be to get them on the field.
NEXT: Kevin Stefanski Sees Something Special With Browns Rookie
