Has Kenny Pickett already lost Browns' starting QB job?

It seemed as if, as of July 28, Kenny Pickett going down with a worrisome hamstring injury essentially guaranteed that veteran Joe Flacco will be the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback for Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. 

However, according to an update shared by Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on Friday, Cleveland could "ease" Pickett back into practices soon.

"He won’t have a full workload but might participate in some individual drills and get back into the swing of things," Cabot wrote.

Cleveland is scheduled to have a joint practice with the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 6 before their preseason matchup on Aug. 8. 

"If Pickett participates in the joint practice with the Panthers, it will also likely be on a limited basis, and then he’ll most likely sit out the game," Cabot continued. 

The Browns are scheduled to have multiple joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles before meeting at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field on Aug. 16. While Cabot indicated that neither Flacco nor Pickett will take snaps in the game against the Eagles, that doesn't necessarily mean head coach Kevin Stefanski has already chosen his Week 1 QB1.

"If [Pickett] can increase his workload by the joint practices in Philly, against their championship attack-minded defense, he’ll have a decent chance to remain firmly in the mix for the Week 1 start," Cabot added. 

Browns general manager, Andrew Berry, seems willing to have four quarterbacks on the active roster for the Cincinnati contest. That said, there's no indication 2025 third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel or 2025 fifth-rounder Shedeur Sanders has a legitimate chance to win the Week 1 starting job before the Browns conclude the preseason against the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 23. 

As of Friday afternoon, FanDuel Sportsbook had Flacco as the betting favorite at -113 odds to serve as Cleveland's Week 1 starter. Pickett was at +190 odds, followed by Gabriel at +520. Sanders was a massive +1300 betting underdog. 

For now, it sounds like Pickett needs to focus on being as healthy as possible for the joint practices with the Eagles that will take place later in August. If he's still a limited participant at that time, Stefanski may feel he has no other choice but to get Flacco ready to face the Bengals on Sept. 7.