Kenny Pickett injury: How does this affect Browns QB competition, Shedeur Sanders’ chances of making team?

The Cleveland Browns have a crowded quarterback room, but one of those players may be forced to miss some time as Kenny Pickett suffered a hamstring injury toward the end of Saturday’s practice, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Through the early days of training camp, Pickett has been splitting reps with Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Now, Pickett is set to miss an undetermined period of time, opening the door for additional reps for Gabriel and Sanders in particular.

Back in March, the Browns acquired Pickett in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles in hopes he could make a bid for the starting gig. It seems to be a wide open competition with Pickett and Flacco reportedly taking most of the first-team reps ahead of the two rookies, Gabriel and Sanders. 

Even if Pickett only misses a few days of camp before getting cleared again, he will cede valuable reps to the other three signal callers on the roster. That means missed opportunities to develop chemistry with receivers and learn the nuances of Kevin Stefanski’s offense.

Pickett, a first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022, didn’t get many game reps last season as he backed up Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia. He appeared in just five games and attempted 42 passes.

In terms of experience, Flacco has the clear edge there. The veteran is entering his 18th NFL season, and he already has some familiarity with the Stefanski offense, starting five games for the Browns back in 2023.

Gabriel, a third-round pick, and Sanders, a fifth-round pick, are trying to prove that they can be trusted as Cleveland’s starter. Right now, it sounds like Sanders might be the underdog in this race, even if his recent speeding violations won’t make much of an impact on the final decision.

At the start of camp, Stefanski said he has a tentative idea of his quarterback depth chart, but that can always change based on how each player performs in different situations.

“With all things depth chart, certainly quarterback, I have a plan that’s in pencil,” Stefanski said. “We have to take in information every day, take in how guys are handling certain situations and adjust from there. We’ll get to those types of decisions later on.”

In most cases, the fourth quarterback on the depth chart would be the one getting cut prior to the finalization of the 53-man roster. In this case, general manager Andrew Berry said he is open to carrying four quarterbacks.

“We’ve largely looked at the last five roster spots as developmental spots, and that can come from any position,” Berry said. “… If there are four that we think are 53-man worthy, and we can keep them, we will.”

If Pickett’s injury is one that could jeopardize his availability for the start of the season, that could help crystalize things for the team ahead of cutdown day.