Kenny Pickett Injury Causes Browns Starting QB Odds to Come Off Board

Who will win the Brown's starting quarterback job?

Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett is day-to-day with a hamstring injury, according to head coach Kevin Stefanski, and it's caused a shake up in a starting quarterback betting market.

The Browns' starting quarterback odds are now off the board at FanDuel Sportsbook, as it appears veteran Joe Flacco could have an inside path to the job depending upon how much time Pickett misses. Rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders are also in the mix, although neither player was taken in the first two rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Pickett missing time would give Flacco the advantage to win the job in the 2025 season.

"If Kenny Pickett is gonna miss some time that would give Joe Flacco the advantage..

We may see Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders go and light it up in the preseason..

If that doesn't happen we always thought it was gonna be one of these veteran QBs" @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/lr7ZISIbR7

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 28, 2025

Cleveland is expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL, as it has an unsteady quarterback situation. There's an old saying that if you have two quarterbacks, you have none.

Well, the Browns have four.

Cleveland had the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but it traded back with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who took two-way star Travis Hunter.

Stefanski was noncommittal about when Pickett would return with Week 1 of the preseason approaching.

"It happened at the end of practice there a couple days ago," Stefanski said. "Felt something, so we'll just treat it. For any player, you're disappointed when you can't be out there with any injury. It'll be fine, he'll rehab, he'll get back out very quickly."

He also added the Pickett will "do everything in his power to get back ASAP."

Pickett spent the 2024 season backing up Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia after a failed stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was traded to Cleveland in the offseason.

A former first-round pick, Pickett has thrown for 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in his NFL career while completing 62.4 percent of his passes. He may need to outduel Flacco to win the job, and it's been reported by ESPN that Cleveland could look to move a quarterback before the start of the 2025 season.

It's quite possible that Flacco or Pickett is the player moved, depending upon which veteran ends up taking this job. For now, oddsmakers are staying out of this uninspiring quarterback race until there is a better timeline for Pickett's return.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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