Dec 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Kenny Pickett (7) walks off the field after win against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field.

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Cleveland’s Messy Quarterback Situation – Will the Browns Look for an Answer in the Draft?

Kenny Pickett confident of earning the starting spot in Cleveland

Dec 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Kenny Pickett (7) walks off the field after win against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Cleveland Browns are a struggling franchise with nothing exciting to look forward to in the 2025 season, at least not yet. Yes, they did manage to re-sign superstar defensive end Myles Garrett after luring him with a mammoth $40 million per year contract despite him having requested a trade just weeks earlier. But, apart from that, the Browns’ who finished 3-14 last season have nothing to look forward to.

As it happens, the quarterback, the most important position on the field, is in a spot of bother, and if you are a Browns fan, you must be wondering what on earth is actually going on. Deshaun Watson, the team’s starting quarterback will most likely miss most of the, if not entire, season due to a re-ruptured Achilles tendon. Not that it may have made much difference as nothing has gone right for the 29-year-old since landing in Cleveland.

The Browns have since swapped quarterbacks with the Philadelphia Eagles sending Dorian Thompson-Robinson the other way in exchange for Kenny Pickett. Currently, those are the only two signal callers on the roster, and the quarterback room is looking rather subdued.

Pickett Confident of Getting a Chance To Start

Former Eagles’ quarterback Kenny Pickett feels assured that he will get a chance to start and views himself as a starting quality quarterback. Unfortunately, though, Pickett, who was drafted by the Steelers with the 20th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, just doesn’t have the stats and the gameplay to back his words.

TRADE: Eagles trading Kenny Pickett to the Browns for Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round pick. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/vC10Qu4yMx
— NFL (@NFL) March 10, 2025

In his two seasons with the Steelers, Pickett started 24 games going 14-10, and had a TD-INT ratio of 13:13. In 2023, he then lost his starting position and was benched following which he requested a trade in 2024 and landed with the Eagles where he backed-up Jalen Hurts for almost the entire season. As one can make out, handing over the starting duties to Pickett raises more questions than solving answers.

What Will the Browns’ Next Move Be?

As of now, there are not many options for the Browns to look at in terms of free agents with Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson remaining as far as the big names are concerned. While Rodgers has mainly been linked to the Steelers and Giants, the Vikings are also a potential destination. That leaves the Browns with Wilson, in case they want to go in that direction.

The other option Cleveland can consider is the draft. At present, if they do not trade down, they hold the number 2 overall pick which gives them a great opportunity to select a new franchise quarterback. The unfortunate scenario being this year’s draft class is considered to be quite a weak one for quarterbacks with only Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders commanding the most attention.

Even then, teams may still have their doubts about both signal callers making this a tough decision for the Browns, who are left with very limited options. It is looking more and more likely that Pickett will be the starter in Cleveland, at least initially, in case a rookie is drafted. And, if that is the case, the Browns’ fanbase may have some concerns heading into the new league year.

Also Read: ‘I Do Have An Idea’ – Myles Garrett Has A Cheeky Response For Who Will Be The Quarterback For Cleveland Browns In 2025!

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Kenny Pickett

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Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!