Browns QB downplays intensity of starting competition

With the first session of OTAs concluding after running from Tuesday to Thursday, the first look at all four Browns' quarterbacks on the field at once has ended. Cleveland's quarterback situation is the storyline of the offseason, with some going as far as tracking stats for each with little to no context.

These reps mean next to nothing in the grand scheme of things, as everyone is going through the early offseason installs that are typically on the simpler side. Additionally, most of these reps come from practice periods with specific looks or situations that will always influence surface-level stats. Despite the lack of importance of order and/or performance on reps in May, most of the talk about the team remains about the quarterback position.

Kenny Pickett downplays intensity of starting competition

Following day two of OTAs, when the media was permitted access and spoke with some players after, Kenny Pickett spoke on the dynamic in the room with all the outside storylines about the position. He was asked about the intensity of the competition thus far and immediately downplayed it to speak on the bond he's building with his teammates.

“I think it’s the outside world makes it up a lot bigger than it is," Pickett said. "When you’re day to day and you’re in meetings with these guys, you’re out of practice, you spend so much time together. Of course we’re all competing, but you become friends with everybody. You know, we’re helping each other. There’s open dialogue in the quarterback room to help each other grow. So I think it’s a great media headline, but when you get in the building, in a quarterback room, and at least all the ones that I’ve been in, you really become friends with these guys and we’re just pushing each other.”

Pickett was asked specifically about fifth-round quarterback Shedeur Sanders' "aura" and what it's like to be around someone as popular as him. Although he didn't talk about how his popularity affects things, Pickett talked about how enjoyable the popular rookie is to be around.

“I don’t think much player wise. Shedeur is an awesome guy, man. He’s funny to be around. He’s a, he’s a great time every day in the quarterback room. You know, we have a lot of laughs together. So it’s been a lot of fun having him in the building.”

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Much has been made throughout Joe Flacco's career about his willingness to be a mentor, and that topic resurfaced after Cleveland drafted Sanders and third-rounder Dillon Gabriel. Pickett echoed Flacco's idea of how players can mentor by learning from his habits and using him as a resource if questions arise.

“I think it’s more, you know, film room in between reps, talking about what he saw or what I saw. He’s just a great…It’s like he’s not a coach. I don’t want anyone to say that, but it’s like having another coach when a guy that’s played that much football, you could bounce ideas off of, you know, ask him what he saw, how he would read certain things earlier in his career. There’s just so many things, small things that you can learn. Just having that normal, you know, open dialogue that we have in the quarterback room.”

It's almost a yearly tradition at this point, so it's no surprise that the quarterback situation will probably continue to be the main talking point throughout the entire season. While the outside world imagines a tough-nosed, hostile competition, these guys are focused on doing their jobs and letting the rest take care of itself.