Browns Coach Reveals Current Plan at Quarterback After Kenny Pickett's Injury

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski did not give a timetable for Kenny Pickett's return.

Joe Flacco throws as Shedeur Sanders looks on during Browns training camp July 25, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett set to miss time due to a hamstring injury, the Browns are turning to their other veteran quarterback, Joe Flacco, to lead the first team reps during training camp.

Pickett injured his hamstring during practice on Saturday, and coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that there is "no timetable" for when he will be able to return, per Scott Petrak of BrownsZone. Petrak adds that in Pickett's absence, Stefanski said that Flacco will get the "majority" of the first-team reps for the Browns.

Though the Browns drafted two rookie quarterbacks in April—Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders—neither are guaranteed any reps with the first team, even with Pickett sidelined due to injury. Instead, Stefanski said that it will "depend on the drill" whether either rookie signal-caller sees any first team reps, per Petrak. Sanders is the only one of the four quarterbacks that has not seen any reps first team reps through training camp so far.

Instead, the Browns are relying on Flacco, who as a 40-year-old former Super Bowl MVP is easily both the most experienced and successful quarterback of the group. Flacco even recently played for the Browns, when he came in at the end of the 2023 season to help lead them to the postseason. Though his play has certainly had its ups and downs for several seasons now, he provides a reliable starting option for Cleveland as the season approaches.

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