Cleveland's quarterback competition hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows.
A four-way battle has at times been cut down to two, with Kenny Pickett missing nearly a week now with a mild hamstring injury and Shedeur Sanders dropping out of the team portion of Saturday's practice due to arm soreness.
Despite the setback, Pickett remains honed in on winning the starting job.
"Yeah, 100% it is," Pickett said Saturday when asked if he possessed the same determination and mindset of becoming QB1 as he did before the injury, per team transcript. "I'm trying to get back out there, you know, as fast as possible. I've never had, you know, a soft tissue injury like this, so really a first-time experience in my career, I felt like I came in great shape, was hitting numbers speed wise that I've never hit before. So, it's frustrating that it happened but you know, turn the page and just trying to be, you know, as good as I can be when I do return."
Pickett entered training camp as one of two healthy veterans in the QB room, the other being 40-year-old Joe Flacco.
Flacco has a wealth of NFL experience and also history with the Browns dating back to 2023, when he ignited Cleveland's offense late in the season to reach the playoffs and win Comeback Player of the Year. Pickett didn't shine in his two years starting with the Steelers, throwing for 4,765 yards, 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions across 25 games, but he spent last season recalibrating on the bench for the Eagles, and he offers a scrambling element that Flacco can't.
The hamstring issue popping up minimizes such a difference for now, though, even once Pickett returns to action.
"I'll have to manage it whenever I'm back, probably a few weeks after, based on the injury and where I'm at," he said. "But I think it gives me a great opportunity just to work from the pocket, you know, find checkdowns, really improve my game from the pocket. So, I think if I look at it with that lens, you know, it could be a real positive."
Regardless, Pickett -- as every QB should -- maintains the belief he can nab the Browns' top job under center with whatever time remains in camp upon his return. He also pointed out the silver lining of getting hurt early in camp rather than toward the end, which could've forced him to take a backseat heading into the regular season by default.
He'll instead be back in due time, again in competition with Flacco, Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
If Pickett has his way, that will be sooner rather than later.
"If you're not out there, I think it's a setback," Pickett said. "You know, you have to be out there playing and competing to win a job. And I fully understand that. That's why I'm pushing to get back, you know, as fast as possible."
