The Cleveland Browns quarterback competition has taken center stage at training camp with Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, Joe Flacco, and Kenny Pickett all vying for the top spot entering the 2025 NFL season.
Despite the vast majority of NFL pundits hitching their prediction wagon to the likes of Flacco or Sanders, one NFL insider has Pickett emerging as the starter for Week 1 of the upcoming season.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano Predicts Kenny Pickett will Start Week 1 for the Cleveland Browns
ESPN NFL Insider Dan Graziano had a contrarian prediction regarding the quarterback situation in Cleveland by detailing his expectation that Kenny Pickett will be the Week 1 starter for the Browns in 2025.
Graziano wrote, “Week 1 starter prediction: Pickett. I’m sure that’s not the most popular choice among the fan base, but as one league executive pointed out to me, he’s the one of these four the Browns tried the hardest to get. They acquired him in early March, knowing Watson was a long shot to play this season and before they knew whether they would bring back Flacco or select a single quarterback — let alone two — in the draft.”
The prediction of Pickett being the Week 1 starter feels a bit more problematic when you consider the Pitt product recently picked up a hamstring injury, but Graziano mentions that earlier this offseason it was actually Pickett who was the only healthy QB on the roster.
Graziano added, “There was a time this offseason when Pickett — who now has a hamstring injury — was the only healthy quarterback on the roster. If he performs well enough in camp and in the preseason, don’t be surprised if he gets first crack at this thing, though I’d expect at least one of the rookies to start this season so the Browns can figure out what they have in them before taking two first-round picks into the 2026 draft.”
Since entering the league back in 2022, Pickett has thrown for 4,765 yards with 15 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions. These numbers don’t exactly paint a flattering picture for the former first-round pick, but he was playing behind a suspect offensive line in Pittsburgh as a member of the Steelers.
How is the Quarterback Competition Going in Cleveland Through the First Week of Training Camp?
All eyes are on the first team reps under center during training camp, which has showcased mixed results across the board according to Zac Jackson of The Athletic.
Jackson wrote, “The four-way battle has probably been what most expected in the still-early stages. And while itâs been ugly at times, that also falls under the category of expected, given the division of reps and the small number of chances for any quarterback to get comfortable thus far.”
Sanders has been taking some reps with the second team offense but has still been working towards of the back of pack at the moment.
The situation is is still very much up in the air and could change drastically over the next few weeks if one of the rookies manages to string together multiple quality practices and preseason performances.
Graziano’s prediction suggests he is very much in the mix for the starting role, but it is still anyone’s ball game at this moment.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Surprising Prediction Would Be Concerning News for Shedeur Sanders appeared first on Heavy Sports.