The Cleveland Browns were the talk of NFL Draft weekend after passing on Shedeur Sanders multiple times, drafting Dillon Gabriel instead of Sanders, then ultimately taking the NFL legend's son in the fifth round with the team's final pick.
The fascination with Sanders and his fit with the Browns is going to be a storyline throughout the season, but there is no way he or Gabriel should even be considered to be the team's starter. That job should go to Kenny Pickett and Pickett alone.
Why Pickett? I am glad you asked. While veteran signal caller Joe Flacco is on the roster as well, he will be approaching 41 years of age by the time the regular season comes to an end. From a durability perspective alone, it is hard to envision Flacco surviving the 17-game regular season as his body simply will not be able to recover as quickly as it did when he was a regular starter earlier in his career.
Even though the Browns already declined the fifth-year option in Pickett's contract, they are going to get a look at what he is capable of this season. Cleveland's front office can still decide to bring him back following the season, if his performance is deemed worthy.
The fact of the matter is that this franchise is still working to overcome the fully guaranteed contract they gave Deshaun Watson. Until he is off the books, finding value at the quarterback position is a must. In Pickett, the Browns have a former first-round pick still on his rookie deal, a grizzled veteran in Flacco, and a pair of low-cost rookies behind him.
With their own picks in the first five rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, as well as the Jacksonville Jaguars' first-round pick, the opportunity will be there for Cleveland to add multiple impact players next season. Selecting a quarterback in the first round would not be off the table either, as the 2026 class is expected to include some big names like Arch Manning, Drew Allar, Cade Klubnik, LaNorris Sellers, among others.
Pickett gives Cleveland the best chance to be competitive in the here and now. It isn't a perfect solution to the Watson problem, but if Cleveland fans are being honest with themselves, that doesn't exist at the moment. Regardless of the team's future plans at quarterback, Browns fans deserve to see a product on the field that gives them a fighting chance every week.