It has been a difficult preseason for Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett, and the setbacks continue as the regular season nears.
Pickett will sit out Saturday’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams, meaning he will not appear in any preseason action because of a hamstring injury suffered in late July. The Browns acquired Pickett in March via trade.
“He continues to progress. He’s done everything in his power to get out there,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said on Wednesday of Pickett. “He’s fine, a lot of this is just getting some guys ready who are playing on Saturday. Kenny’s not playing Saturday.”
Stefanski had hoped all of his quarterbacks would take snaps against the Rams, but Pickett remains sidelined. Cleveland will soon face decisions on how to structure its quarterback room when final cuts are made. Carrying four quarterbacks remains on the table, and Stefanski indicated that Pickett has made a strong impression despite the injury.
“I’m still excited about Kenny the player, the person. I’ve been around him now for many months and I know what he’s about,” Stefanski said. “I know how he was performing. The injury was unfortunate, but it hasn’t stopped him from being engaged. It hasn’t stopped him from knowing exactly what’s going on a day-to-day basis. He’s getting as much work as he can right now, but he has performed really, really well.”
Browns Still Sorting Out Depth Chart
The injury knocked Pickett out of the race to be the Browns’ Week 1 starter. Cleveland named 40-year-old Joe Flacco the starter this week. Stefanski said Flacco earned the job despite Pickett, Sanders and Gabriel dealing with injuries during camp.
“He earned it and I understand with the injuries how that may look,” Stefanski said. “That’s really not the case here. Joe performed really well both in practices, in the joint practices, in the meeting room, you name it, in the walkthrough, just what he’s able to bring to the football team. He’s earned that role.”
While Flacco is installed as the starter, the Browns have yet to sort out the rest of their quarterback depth chart. Stefanski is in no rush to do so.
“Not so concerned about depth chart, honestly,” Stefanski said. “I really like our guys. They continue to work very hard, all of them. As you make decisions like this, you talk to the guys and you let them in on your thought process, but all of them should consider themselves to get ready as a starter. That’s how you have to handle being a backup in this league.”
Browns Rookie QB Shedeur Sanders Returns to Practice
Sanders has been dealing with an oblique injury, which he suffered last week during joint practice with the Eagles. He returned to practice in a limited capacity on Wednesday.
“He’s doing more,” Stefanski said. “And the important part is just to find out how he comes out of today, how he felt and we’ll know more both after practice tomorrow.”
Stefanski has yet to decide if Sanders will see time against the Rams.
“We still had a number of throws that we wanted him to get and then (evaluate) him afterwards,” Stefanski said. “Let’s see how he feels. Not ready to say just yet (if he’ll play).”
Sanders built momentum in his preseason debut on Aug. 8, passing for 138 yards and two touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers. It’ll be important for the high-profile fifth-round pick to get one more chance to prove himself before the regular season revs up.
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