BEREA, Ohio — In recent years, the NFL has seen quarterbacks drafted high flame out with their original team but rejuvenate their careers at their second, third — and in some cases, fourth — stop.
This summer, the Cleveland Browns’ search for a new starting quarterback could lead them to another reclamation project: Kenny Pickett, the No. 22 pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2022 draft. Pickett enters training camp later this month as one of four quarterbacks added this offseason and competing to be the starter, along with Joe Flacco and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
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In the early days of free agency, with a desperate need for a quarterback after shuffling through four passers last season, the Browns executed a trade with the Eagles for Pickett, sending Philadelphia a fifth-round pick and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Though Pickett spent the previous season as the backup to Jalen Hurts with the eventual Super Bowl champions, Browns general manager Andrew Berry said Cleveland targeted Pickett early in the offseason.
“[We] feel like he’s a good decision-maker, he does a really good job of protecting the ball. He’s very mobile, and we think that his relative strengths are something that fit well with the offense that we’re putting into place for this upcoming year,” Berry said at the owners meeting in late March. “We do think that there’s a pretty credible path for him to continue to improve and take a step forward, and I think you’ve seen that with players that they get into maybe new or sometimes maybe better environments for their particular path in their career.”
Pickett, 27, went 14-10 as a starter in two seasons with the Steelers. But he didn’t do enough to prove to Pittsburgh he was its future at quarterback — he threw 13 touchdowns to 13 interceptions — and after the signing of Russell Wilson in 2024, Pickett requested a trade, which the Steelers honored.
Pickett started one game last season with the Eagles, but he viewed his one-year stint in Philadelphia as beneficial.
“I’m extremely grateful for my time in Philly. I think I was just shown how it’s supposed to be done, really, from the top down,” Pickett said during organized team activities. “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.”
While coach Kevin Stefanski downplayed the order of practice reps during the offseason workout program, Pickett got a heavy dose of reps with the first-team offense, sharing snaps with Flacco and Gabriel, a third-round pick. During the spring practices, Pickett developed a strong on-field rapport with top receiver Jerry Jeudy, with whom he also trained in the offseason.
Philadelphia’s offense was more of a spread system designed to highlight the dual-threat skills of Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley’s do-it-all capabilities. The Browns are expected to return to the scheme Stefanski ran in his first few seasons as head coach and offensive playcaller, with more under-center formations that utilize play-action. Pickett, though, said there’s plenty of overlap conceptually and that the biggest transition has been learning the new terminology.
“I like how Kenny’s wired,” Stefanski said during mandatory minicamp. “He’s a really tough kid. When we traded for him, Coach [Pat] Narduzzi called me right away and was thrilled because he just believes in who the young man is and how he goes about his business. He’s a gym rat. He’s another guy that works extremely hard at his craft. But we’re excited about his skill set. I’m excited about the things that he’s been exposed to in his young career already. He’s focusing on putting one good day on top of another.”
Plenty of quarterbacks taken with high picks have shown that it’s possible to bounce back from slow starts to their careers, even if it misses latching on with a new team.
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Last season, Sam Darnold, the third overall pick of the Jets in 2018, threw for a career-high 4,319 yards and was named to his first Pro Bowl with the Minnesota Vikings, three years after New York traded him to the Carolina Panthers. Another highly drafted former Jets quarterback, Geno Smith, saved his career as a member of the Seattle Seahawks, being named to consecutive Pro Bowls. And Baker Mayfield, the top pick of the Browns in 2018, reemerged as a franchise quarterback after his relationship with Cleveland deteriorated. After stints with the Panthers and Los Angeles Rams, Mayfield found a new home in Tampa Bay, where he has led the Buccaneers to the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.
The Browns opted not to exercise Pickett’s fifth-year option, which would have been worth $22 million. This makes it a critical season for Pickett, who has a fully guaranteed salary of $2.6 million and will be a free agent after the 2025 season. Though Cleveland’s quarterback room is crowded, Pickett finds himself firmly in the mix to be the team’s starter — and possibly turn his career around.
“I think it’s just the nature of where the NFL is now, you know, it takes a lot to play quarterback [well], and everyone’s trying to find that guy,” Pickett said. “And now I’m in this stage of my career where I’m trying to find that place and figure it out. I got a chance to work with Geno this offseason, and he’s an awesome guy. And I think that was also a great experience for me working with a guy like him. …
“I think it’s just taking advantage of my opportunity, when it’s there. You know, he bounced around a lot, got an opportunity and took off. So great guy, loved working with Geno. So really just trying to take advantage of everything I got.”
