Browns Offer Telling Update on Kenny Pickett Injury, Impact on QB Competition

Browns Offer Telling Update on Kenny Pickett Injury, Impact on QB Competition originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Cleveland Browns started training camp with a four-way quarterback competition. And even after a hamstring injury to one of the frontrunners in Kenny Pickett, there are still four signal-callers in the hunt for the top job.

That is according to head coach Kevin Stefanski, who spoke to reporters on Monday, July 28, two days after Pickett sustained the soft tissue injury.

"The end of practice there a couple days ago, [he] felt something. So, we'll just treat it," Stefanski said. "For any player, you know you're disappointed when you can't be out there with any injury. But he'll be fine. He'll rehab. He'll get back out very quickly."

#Browns coach Kevin Stefanski on Kenny Pickett injuring his hamstring: pic.twitter.com/Ge7CjLTfqu

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) July 28, 2025

Stefanski declined to put an exact clock on Pickett's return, though he did say that the fourth-year signal-caller remains in the hunt for the starting job in Cleveland.

Scott Petrak of Browns Zone reported that Pickett is almost certain to miss the next two days of practice before a day off for the entire team on Thursday.

Hamstring issues are notorious for their potential to linger. As such, it is hard to imagine Pickett returning less than a week after suffering one. However, he may need to do so if he hopes to actually win the starting job.

Joe Flacco Likely in Poll Position for QB1 Job After Kenny Pickett Injury

Veteran Joe Flacco has started six games for the Browns, all in 2023 save for one playoff contest in January 2024, and is now presumably the frontrunner for the QB1 spot given his competition consists of two rookies in Dillon Gabriel (Round 3) and Shedeur Sanders (Round 5).

Flacco spoke Monday as well and was asked whether Pickett's injury has provided clarity on the QB competition.

"Listen, I’ve been trying to keep my head down this whole time anyway, so I really don’t [know]," Flacco said, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. "Couldn’t say."

Cleveland's timeline for naming a permanent starter is expected to be between the end of the first week of August -- when the Browns play their first preseason game against the Carolina Panthers -- and the middle of the month when they hold joint practices before the second preseason contest of the summer against the Philadelphia Eagles.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared.