New Browns QB Determined to Win Starting Job Despite Being Injured

Ryan Phillips | Aug 3, 2025

Despite battling a hamstring injury, Kenny Pickett is still focused on winning the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback job. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Kenny Pickett isn't allowing an injury to derail his plans for the upcoming season.

The 27-year-old was traded to the Cleveland Browns this offseason after spending the 2024 campaign with the Philadelphia Eagles. He won a Super Bowl as a backup at his last stop and after being moved to Cleveland he is determined to win the starting job.

Pickett has been sidelined for a week due to a mild hamstring injury, which has given his competition for the QB1 spot time to show off. Rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, and veteran Joe Flacco have all had a chance to play with Pickett sidelined. It's worth noting, Sanders sat out of the team portion of practice on Saturday due to a sore arm.

Despite being sidelined, Pickett is says his focus is still winning the starting job.

"Yeah, 100% it is," the former first-round pick said. "I'm trying to get back out there, you know, as fast as possible. I've never had, you know, a soft tissue injury like this, so really a first-time experience in my career, I felt like I came in great shape, was hitting numbers speed-wise that I've never hit before. So, it's frustrating that it happened but you know, turn the page and just trying to be, you know, as good as I can be when I do return."

Given his profile, Sanders is the Browns quarterback with the most eyes on him during training camp. That said, Flacco is a veteran with years of starting experience, Pickett spent the 2024 season with a winning organization and surely learned a lot and Cleveland selected Gabriel two rounds earlier than the Colorado standout.

We'll see how this one shakes out, but it seems Pickett has as good a chance as anyone in this wide-open battle.

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