There are still some Kenny Pickett believers out there. The former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick hasn't been able to hold a starting job in the NFL, but he's shown flashes of competent play. His believers just don't seem to work for the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns, who might already have the most crowded quarterback room in the NFL, just signed Tyler Huntley. The move is questionable to say the least, but it may mean the end of Pickett's time in Cleveland.
Kenny Pickett already on the chopping block after Browns sign Tyler Huntley
Pickett is just one of the chapters in the Steelers' story of QB purgatory since Ben Roethlisberger's retirement. Pittsburgh has consistently been too good to draft a star quarterback, but not good enough to win with what they have.
Thankfully, the Steelers recognized early in Pickett's career that he wasn't going to be able to win them a Super Bowl. Pickett wasn't a defined negative for Pittsburgh, but he didn't do much of anything to lift the offense. He struggled to put together any sort of production, passing for just 13 touchdowns in 25 games.
Pittsburgh quickly moved on from Pickett, trading him to the Philadelphia Eagles and getting almost nothing in return. After one year in Philly, the Eagles sent Pickett packing. He was traded to the Cleveland Browns, again for pennies.
This offseason, the Browns have come up with a new solution to their decades-long quarterback problem: bring in as many QBs as possible, and hope somebody is good enough to start.
The Browns came into training camp with Pickett, Joe Flacco, Deshaun Watson, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders filling out their quarterback room. It was already too crowded a group to give each player enough reps, especially with two rookies on board.
But, in a seemingly wide-open race, Pickett had some chance of entering the year as the Browns' starter.
That chance seems to have already evaporated.
Just two weeks into training camp, the Browns have added another quarterback to the group. They signed former Ravens and Dolphins QB Tyler Huntley this week. Pickett, Gabriel, and Sanders are all recovering from injuries at the moment.
Pickett had his chance to regain a starting job, but it's already slipping away.
If Huntley performs well in training camp, he could end up moving ahead of Pickett on the depth chart. If he does, the Browns likely won't hesitate to release Pickett before the season starts.