“He’s the Guy That Works Extremely Hard”: Browns HC Kevin Stefanski Speaks Up On Where Kenny Pickett Stands In the QB Competition

Many closely monitor the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback room as the competition intensifies with each passing day. In the running for the job are four quarterbacks: the veteran, Joe Flacco, the first-round bust, Kenny Pickett, and the two rookies, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. And somewhere down the line, Deshaun Watson could mix in as well.

The least talked about quarterback in the room, though, has to be Pickett. The former first-round pick quickly flamed out in Pittsburgh before becoming a backup for the Super Bowl-winning Eagles last season. And he seems to be showing some signs of growth already in Cleveland.

According to head coach Kevin Stefanski, Pickett has been impressing him and other coaches on the staff with his poise and work ethic.

“I’m really excited about what Kenny [Pickett] brings to the team,” Stefanski said to the Cleveland press. “He’s a guy that works extremely hard at his craft. I love the way he thinks about the game. He’s very, very tough. So, he’s doing a nice job. As you can imagine with quarterbacks or any position, we’re throwing a lot at these guys, and I think he’s handling it really well.”

It was high praise coming from the Browns’ head coach. But he’s not the only coach who’s been impressed with Pickett’s work ethic in recent seasons. His former head coach, Nick Sirianni, always said that Pickett was capable of coming in and providing quality snaps on short notice. He even beat the Dallas Cowboys in his only start of the season last year.

However, it’s hard to believe that Pickett is in the lead for the starting job. It’s great that he’s a coachable player, but most of what Stefanski said came off as “coach speak.”

What is coach speak? It’s any jargon or clichés that coaches use when they give vague answers about their team. Here, Stefanski sounded as though he wanted to support Pickett’s cerebral instincts, but he also didn’t say anything about how he throws the football. 

It’s positive for Pickett that he’s in the good graces of Stefanski, but that doesn’t mean much. At the end of the day, he’s a failed first-round pick who’s turned into a journeyman. And the Browns have other, more exciting options.

Either of the rookie quarterbacks would be more worthwhile to give game reps. Even from a winning perspective, having Joe Flacco lead the bunch until one of the rookies emerges is probably the better option. He just led them to the playoffs in 2023, and who’s to say he can’t do it again?

But it’s a nice last resort should all other options fail. And if Pickett is locked in and impressing coaches, there’s a timeline where he could come in and surprise us. There’s just a very small chance that happens.