Kenny Pickett suffered a hamstring injury on Saturday. He tossed two touchdowns in a red-zone period during the practice. (Cleveland Browns)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
The Browns were expected to modify their quarterback reps for Monday’s practice, the first with full pads this year.
But we’ll never know what that plan looked like because an injury to Kenny Pickett has forced a different change.
A club source confirmed Pickett “will miss some time” after suffering a hamstring injury late in Saturday’s practice. Coach Kevin Stefanski will address the injury prior to Monday’s practice, which is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start.
The source would not characterize how long Pickett would be out. Imaging tests will determine the severity and recovery time.
If it’s a mild Grade 1 strain, recovery time could be three weeks. If it’s a moderate Grade 2 strain, which would mean a partial tear, recovery could be 3-6 weeks. If it’s a severe Grade 3 strain, which would be a complete tear, recovery could be 3-6 months.
In any case, one less quarterback means more reps for Joe Flacco, and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Stefanski said prior to Saturday’s practice – and Pickett’s injury – that coaches would meet on the players’ off day on Sunday to reassess how to redistribute reps for the quarterbacks in the second four-practice segment of camp.
“I think we still need to rep everybody and get everybody ready for the preseason for this season,” Stefanski.
That sounded like the original plan might have included increased reps for Gabriel and Sanders, anyway, because Stefanski historically has played his backup quarterbacks extensively in the first preseason game.
Gabriel has had a few periods against the first and second teams, but Sanders has not repped against the first team. He might get that opportunity this week.
This year, the Browns will have a joint practice in Charlotte, NC, against the Carolina Panthers on August 6 in advance of their preseason game on August 8.
In previous joint practices against other teams, Stefanski has given the bulk of practice reps to his top two quarterbacks. If Pickett is unavailable, the question now becomes whether Gabriel or Sanders would be designated QB2 for the one-day joint practice against the Panthers next week.
No doubt Stefanski will answer that question on Monday by saying something such as, “I’m just worried about today and this week.”
Pickett and Flacco had been sharing reps with the first and second teams through the first four practices. Per the ESPN Cleveland Quarterback Tracker, Pickett was 23 of 34 in passes in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 periods with three touchdowns and one interception. He had two touchdowns in a red-zone period on Saturday. Pickett also has ripped off some long runs on keepers when he couldn’t find an open receiver.
On Friday, quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave described Pickett’s early showing as “stellar.”
“He had one throw where he was late [on Thursday] and resulted in an interception, which is okay,” Musgrave said. “We don’t want interceptions. But at times we learn a lot from when we stub our toe even more than when we have our triumphs. He’s had his share of triumphs these last two days, especially throwing on the run. Incredibly accurate for just jumping back into camp after us being off for a number of weeks this summer.”