The early returns of Browns training camp have had a lot of praise for Kenny Pickett as he is in a battle for the starting quarterback job. Many around the league believe Pickett and Joe Flacco are the main battle for the QB1 job, and Pickett's accuracy throwing on the run in play action has been specifically mentioned by quarterback coach Bill Musgrave.
Unfortunately, Pickett suffered an injury on day four of camp and is expected to miss some time. Luckily, it's just July, so Pickett has ample time to recover and get back on the field before camp concludes.
Kenny Pickett expected to miss time with hamstring injury
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Pickett hurt his hamstring near the end of Saturday's practice. Per Schefter, Pickett is going to be re-evaluated later this week and will at least miss a few days of camp. Cleveland is set to practice the next three days with Thursday off, so it's likely that he will miss at least those three on-field sessions.
Browns QB Kenny Pickett injured his hamstring near the end of Saturday’s practice and is expected to re-evaluate the injury later this week, per sources. Pickett was coming off a strong couple of practices, per sources, and at least for the short term, there now will be more reps… pic.twitter.com/rDpWiWE6A6
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 27, 2025
With Pickett out, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel will not only get more reps, but they will get more looks with the ones and twos rather than roster bubble guys. Joe Flacco will likely lead the charge until Pickett is back, but depending on the severity of the hamstring strain, Pickett could miss weeks and lose too much ground in the competition.
It's difficult to get everyone ample reps with four active quarterbacks, so the injury to Pickett will at least allow the remaining three to get a more consistent load of action this week after getting settled in last week. Most importantly, the practices to this point have been without pads, but they will put the pads on a few times this week. If someone can step up and consistently perform in full-contact practices, it will go a long way towards winning the job.
Things change quickly in the NFL, and Pickett is facing an uphill battle to be the team's starter if he is forced off the field for multiple weeks to nurse his hamstring. It will be interesting to see how the reps are handled in his absence.