Ben Stevens questioned why sportsbooks list Joe Flacco as the slight favorite to open the season under center for Cleveland and recommended taking a shot on Kenny Pickett in any "Week-1 starter" markets that reopen. Stevens reasoned that Flacco “is not the future—maybe not even past weeks two or three,” while the front office desperately needs to evaluate Pickett after trading for him this spring. With Deshaun Watson stashed on PUP following a second Achilles rupture and rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel viewed as long-term projects, Stevens thinks Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski will prioritize gathering a full season of tape on Pickett before deciding whether to invest future draft capital at quarterback. Given that context, Stevens believes the coaching staff will give Pickett all the first-team reps in August, making him undervalued relative to the current odds that favor the 39-year-old Flacco.

Sam Monson said he would immediately phone every front office to unload Kenny Pickett— even a conditional late-round pick would be enough— rather than let Pickett siphon training-camp reps. Monson’s logic: Joe Flacco will placate the win-now veterans in Week 1, and the Browns intend to cycle through rookies once Flacco inevitably falters, leaving Pickett with no realistic snap pathway. He advised best-ball drafters to stop treating Pickett as a cheap QB2 and instead pivot to Cleveland’s rookies. In the betting market, Monson recommended fading any 'Pickett to start Week 1' props and taking unders on his season-long passing totals if books hang them, because he believes Pickett might not even make the 53-man roster.

Steve Palazzolo predicted Kenny Pickett will emerge as Cleveland’s Week 1 starter with Joe Flacco getting cut before final roster decisions. Palazzolo’s logic: the Browns cannot give four quarterbacks meaningful reps, and Pickett offers the best blend of experience and developmental upside once Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders siphon practice snaps. He added that Flacco has zero interest in holding a clipboard, making him expendable if a mid-camp injury elsewhere creates trade demand. With Pickett penciled in to open the season, Palazzolo recommended grabbing him as a free late-round QB2 in best-ball drafts and taking plus-money on “Pickett to start Week 1” markets before depth-chart reports firm up.

Steve Palazzolo argued Cleveland should give Kenny Pickett an extended look because organizational moves signal a 2026 reset. The Browns flipped current assets for a 2025 first-round pick and have multiple O-line and secondary contracts expiring then. Palazzolo framed Pickett as a classic reclamation bet in the Geno Smith/Baker Mayfield mold: former first-rounder acquired for a late-round pick swap, now the room’s elder if Joe Flacco is cut. By starting Pickett—and sprinkling rookie snaps to Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders—Cleveland can determine whether any of them deserves to bridge the roster overhaul. Dynasty managers hunting cheap quarterback stashes and bettors eyeing long-shot “most improved player” futures should monitor how quickly Pickett gets first-team reps.