Kenny Pickett has the right mindset, just for the wrong team. The focus of this Cleveland Browns team should be to win. The only problem is, they’ve struggled at that lately. And the fact that the ability to win games will determine if he’s worth having the starting role means he hasn’t paid close enough attention to this team.
This team has been in quarterback hell for the last few years. Even when Joe Flacco took over two years ago, it clearly didn’t mean much. This team needs more than a quarterback that can win games, they need a quarterback that can contribute consistently. Pickett hasn’t been able to do that since he’s been in the NFL, so the fact that he thinks winning will save him is baffling. He told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that the competition would come down to being able to run any play and win games, but he's misguided as can be.
The Browns signed and/or drafted four quarterbacks while already having Deshaun Watson for a reason. They drafted two rookies for a reason. And that’s to see which one will actually rise as the quarterback that won’t just win, but will actually make this team better.
They brought in Watson to win games and that’s failed miserably. So winning games is no longer the focus for the next Browns quarterback. They need a quarterback that will make this team better. That should obviously translate to wins, but that’s no longer the primary trait for a Browns quarterback.
Kenny Pickett has a lot to prove before winning the starting job in Cleveland
Pickett needs to be much better if he hopes to win the starting job in Cleveland. Again, it’s not about wins, it’s about making this Cleveland team better. They’ve had miserable quarterback play for years and while the talent hasn’t been the best, not having a respectable quarterback to lead them has hurt them tremendously.
The fact that the Browns drafted both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders is proof they didn’t believe in Pickett to be the quarterback that was going to save this team. Which means he has a whole lot of work ahead of him to prove he’s the Browns’ starter.
Flacco is the most proven quarterback in that room, and that’s just based off what he’s done in Cleveland alone. Pickett started two years in Pittsburgh and has become a backup in the NFL, who’s looking to be a starter again. But nothing he’s done since being in the NFL is showing he’s worth taking the gamble on.
Pickett is in Cleveland for depth purposes only. He has a chance to win the starting job, though slim at that. Once he proves to the Browns he’s worth it, then he can start talking about winning here. But winning alone won’t separate him from the rest.