Kenny Pickett Reportedly 'In The Lead' for Browns QB1 Battle with Shedeur, Flacco

Kenny Pickett has an early edge in the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback battle for the 2025 season, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

Cabot reported that Pickett is "for all intents and purposes, in the lead" for the top spot on Cleveland's depth chart over Joe Flacco, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel during a Thursday appearance on The Rich Eisen Show (11:10 mark).

Sanders is currently the Browns' fourth-team quarterback and didn't receive any 11-on-11 reps in practice on Wednesday, per Cabot (5:00 mark).

Pickett's reported status as an early leader to win the starting job is surprising, especially since Flacco started off Wednesday's OTAs by taking first-team reps under center.

If Cleveland is searching for an experienced Week 1 option, Pickett and Flacco should have an advantage over the other candidates. The Browns selected Gabriel and Sanders with third and fifth-round picks in the 2025 NFL draft, respectively.

As for Pickett, the Browns acquired him from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round draft choice in a March 12 trade.

He was initially selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Pickett failed to meet expectations in Pittsburgh, completing 62.6 percent of his throws for 4,474 yards and 13 touchdowns compared to 13 interceptions in 25 games.

The 26-year-old was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in March 2024, serving as a backup behind Jalen Hurts on an Eagles squad that ended up winning Super Bowl LIX.

"I'm extremely grateful for my time in Philly," Pickett said Wednesday (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra). "I think I was just shown how it's supposed to be done, really, from the top down. So when you get a chance to see what it's supposed to look like and how it should look on a day-to-day basis, not just on Sundays. You know, I think it'll pay dividends for me in the future."

While Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski likely won't come to a Week 1 starting decision anytime soon, Pickett is still reportedly is off to a strong start in OTAs.