Coach's Assessment Makes You Wonder if He's Actually Watching Kenny Pickett

What They're Saying

Stefanski: "I know it will get reported on who's in there first, and it may change. It will change tomorrow. So I caution you to read too much into it until we get much later on in the process."

Musgrave: "He's had his share of triumphs these last two days, especially throwing on the run. Incredibly accurate for just jumping back into camp after us being off a number of weeks this summer."

Browns CB Greg Newsome on Pickett: "He's always been one of my favorite guys to compete against. He's a guy that reminds me of that tenacity that Baker had. Just out there trying to go out you, going to talk some trash with you, just an ultimate competitor. He does whatever the offense needs for him to win. ... Whatever he needs to do, I feel like he'll be able to do it at a high level."

Newsome added that Pickett's mobility is a "nightmare."

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

Wow. Cleveland sure sounds starved for QB talent.

It's Stefanski's job to downplay the early QB rotation when there's a clear competition at the position. But when Pickett leads the starter reps on the first day of camp, and then his position coach calls his play "stellar," it sure seems fair to call him the early leader.

Of course, we've already seen two years of Pickett not being very good in the NFL. He threw 13 total TDs and averaged just 179 passing yards per game across 25 games for Pittsburgh.

So we're not rushing to call this race for the Browns' starting job. And whoever wins won't carry much fantasy intrigue.

Pickett's at least worth stashing in deeper superflex formats, though, where every starting QB gets a roster home.

Other Winners & Losers

Pickett winning the job -- over Flacco, in particular -- would probably not be good news for Cleveland pass catchers.

At the very least, Pickett will turn some dropbacks into scrambles that Flacco would not. More importantly, Flacco has delivered much more passing production in the NFL than Pickett has. That included elevating Colts receivers last year vs. how they scored with Anthony Richardson.