After a three-win season, all eyes will be on the Cleveland Browns when they start training camp. The football world won’t be locked in because they expect a quick turnaround, everyone will be watching because of the intriguing quarterback competition. With Cleveland trading for Kenny Pickett, signing Joe Flacco, and drafting Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders this offseason, the team has four guys who could emerge as a starter.
After a closely-followed offseason program, it seems like no one knows who will ultimately be the starter. However, one Browns receiver thinks he has an idea of who the team will go with. Newcomer Diontae Johnson recently joined the Sports and Suits podcast, and revealed he thinks Cleveland is going to roll with Kenny Pickett.
Diontae Johnson thinks Kenny Pickett will be the Browns starter
Johnson made this prediction based on what he observed in OTAs and minicamp, explaining that Pickett often took the first-team reps, and he expects that to continue into training camp.
"I've been seeing Kenny going like right now with the ones. Then Joe (Flacco) will come in. I think they are probably going to roll with him just to see like he's coming off a season with Philly and having a Super Bowl. So, I think they are going to stick with him through the preseason."Diontae Johnson
Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski has repeatedly told the media not to look too much into reps, but not even his players appear to believe that messaging.
Typically, when a team is having a public quarterback competition, players stay out if it, opting for neutral answers and just letting the situation play out. Johnson didn’t take that approach. It’s not surprising, though, he predicted Pickett would be the starter, as the two were teammates for two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers.