Kenny Pickett spent last season on a magic carpet ride in Philadelphia to a Super Bowl ring as the backup to Jalen Hurts.
As the 2022 Pittsburgh first-round pick begins a quarterback battle in Cleveland, he believes that time in Philadelphia has made him ready to start once again.
"I'm extremely grateful for my time in Philly," Pickett said on Wednesday, via the Browns' official transcript. "I think I was just shown how it's supposed to be done, really, from the top down. So when you get a chance to see what it's supposed to look like and how it should look on a day-to-day basis, not just on Sundays. You know, I think it'll pay dividends for me in the future."
Although he didn't mention Pittsburgh at all, some will surely read Pickett's comments as a slight to Mike Tomlin's operation -- even if none was intended. The reality is that sometimes young quarterbacks need a step back to recalibrate and learn how to do things differently. Pickett was drafted early in a weak QB class, tossed into the fire in Pittsburgh, and got burned in an offense that lacked in every aspect. Perhaps instead of a slight to Pittsburgh, it should be viewed as a nod to Hurts -- famously a coach's son.
Pickett hopes to use what he learned in Philly in the competition with Joe Flaccoand rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in Cleveland. With on-field organized team activities just opening, it's very early in the Browns QB competition, but Pickett noted there is no animosity in the room.
"I think it's the outside world makes it up a lot bigger than it is," he said. "When you're day to day and you're in meetings with these guys, you're out of practice, you spend so much time together. Of course we're all competing, but you become friends with everybody. You know, we're helping each other. There's open dialogue in the quarterback room to help each other grow. So I think it's a great media headline, but when you get in the building, in a quarterback room, and at least all the ones that I've been in, you really become friends with these guys and we're just pushing each other."
Flacco's experience in Kevin Stefanski's system could ultimately give him a leg up, but at this stage, it's a wide-open competition as Pickett attempts to write the next chapter in his NFL career.
"I just always approached every day as if I'm the starter no matter where I was on the depth chart," he said. "So even when I was in Philly, I would prepare as if I was a starter because, you never know when that opportunity was going to be to go play. And, you know, you want to be as prepared as you can be. So I'm kind of having the same mindset that I've always had since college of coming in, preparing like I'm the guy. So, you know, whatever happens, it's just another day because I always have that same mindset."
