The most talked-about QB room this offseason belongs to the Cleveland Browns. For a long time after the draft, the question of who’d be the starter was up in the air. With four healthy QBs running to be the top Dawg, and a fifth one hinting he’ll be back during the new regular season, the debates went haywire. For some, the 40-year-old veteran Joe Flacco was the answer. Others made the case for the rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, getting their chance to shine. But for most of the voices around the league, Kenny Pickett’s QB1 battle seems already won. 

Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot touted Pickett as a “superpower” recently. As Cabot wrote, “That will be Pickett’s superpower in the competition: the mobility that will enable the Browns to be creative and unpredictable in the return to Kevin Stefanski’s offense.” Even HOFer Cris Carter saw Flacco as an “emergency band-aid” at best and praised Pickett’s potential and vision. With so many votes pooling in favor of the former Steelers star, Pickett is celebrating his offseason in a big way.

In an IG post shared by Kenny’s wife, Amy Pickett, the couple celebrated their 4th of July holiday in classic NFL QB fashion. In the post, the Picketts can be seen posing for the camera on a yacht as the sun goes down behind them. As the couple waited for the fireworks to go off, Amy wrote on the post, “No one has ever seen a Fourth of July like this before.” For Kenny, this offseason certainly hasn’t been anything like before. After spending a year as Jalen Hurts’ backup with the Eagles, he only played in 5 games and started in one of those. The only game he started was also a massive 41 – 7 victory for Philly over Dallas. But with the Browns this year, he finds himself in the thick of QB1 nominations, and the hope of bringing that Steelers days’ performance.

Back during his time with the Steelers, Pickett’s record was 14-10 for 24 starts (7-5 in each season). Along with those numbers, insiders like Cabot also believe his ability to run the ball and let his receivers shine will translate big in the Browns’ offense. And the coaches seem to see it, too. During the minicamps, Pickett and Flacco got the most reps with the first team. Even Gabriel managed to get some reps with the first team along with the two veterans. But the one guy who was left out of this equation, playing with the secondary team, is also the one whose offseason has been a complete contrast to Pickett’s. For Shedeur Sanders, the grind never stopped, even if the team took a break.

While Kenny Pickett was chasing the sunset vibe with his family, Shedeur Sanders went the exact opposite way. Sanders was grinding away and polishing his skills on a rainy evening somewhere in Miami. As G-Bush revealed in his Barbershop podcast recently, this wasn’t just about the rookie “throwing dots in the rain!” It was actually about the message Sanders sent out without saying a single word. While he wore simple green shorts and the signature ripped arm-sleeve henley, it was the headgear that stole the show. Sanders was notably wearing his Browns helmet as he practiced in the rain.  

G-Bush put it best on the podcast with, “he could have wore a baseball cap, a visor, any of that right? But you know what he told you? Whether you all wanted it or not, I’m gonna just keep showing up. Whether ya’ll know it or not, I’m gonna just keep working.” Sanders has been all-in for the Browns since he hit Cleveland. He showed up at the schools when the kids requested him to. In practice, he was the last to leave the field, getting in some reps with the offense. Even during the minicamps when he was throwing to the secondary team, he notably had the highest TDs and completions out of all the QBs. His drive is clear, and he’s going the distance even during his time off.

For Kenny Pickett, the QB competition feels one-sided at this point. He’s the top contender to win the starting gig. But Sanders is making sure he’s not out of the QB battle yet. Even the Dawg Pound feels he should get a shot under center. The guy who reportedly joined the team through Jimmy Haslam’s recommendation has won the hearts of Cleveland. Can he win the QB1 battle too, somewhere down the new season?