Insider says 'superpower' gives Kenny Pickett advantage in Browns' QB competition

A recent story suggested that Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski believes Kenny Pickett will prove he can "thrive" in his offense while competing for the starting quarterback job alongside veteran Joe Flacco, rookie Dillon Gabriel and first-year pro Shedeur Sanders. 

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote Thursday that "Pickett’s superpower" will be his "mobility that will enable the Browns to be creative and unpredictable" in Stefanski’s offense. 

Specifically, Cabot said that Stefanski will give Pickett "more of an opportunity to run the keepers, (run-pass options), and other plays that rely on his strengths" after Pickett and Gabriel were "tasked with running some of the more difficult concepts in the new scheme to see what worked and what didn’t" during springtime drills. 

The Athletic's Zac Jackson added that Flacco is "the favorite...to emerge from a complicated four-man quarterback competition and win the starting job ahead of Week 1." FanDuel Sportsbook agrees with Jackson, as that outlet had Flacco at -102 odds to get the nod for Cleveland's regular-season opener versus the Cincinnati Bengals as of Thursday morning. Pickett was at +200 odds, ahead of both Gabriel (+500) and Sanders (+870). 

Flacco won four of five starts to guide the 2023 Browns to the playoffs and is the only active quarterback on Cleveland's roster who has played under Stefanski. Back in June, he was referred to as "the best pure thrower of the four-man quarterback group." 

That said, a report from last week claimed that the Browns "want" Pickett to win the job over Flacco. Pickett turned 27 in June, while Flacco will be 41 in January. 

Cabot noted that Pickett and Flacco "have the inside track to start Week 1." Still, it sounds like Stefanski and Co. will give Pickett opportunities to demonstrate that he's the better option when training camp practices begin in late July. 

"The drills in organized team activities and minicamp weren’t designed to showcase his athleticism and mobility, and that’s when he really shines," Cabot added about Pickett. "They were geared more toward the dropback, play-action game with very little QB movement that plays to Flacco’s strengths."