Browns coach Kevin Stefanski says Kenny Pickett still in QB race despite injury

BEREA, Ohio — Kevin Stefanski still expects Kenny Pickett to be a candidate for the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback job despite being sidelined with a hamstring injury.

Stefanski said before Monday’s practice that the process of determining who starts the Sept. 7 opener against the Cincinnati Bengals isn’t confined to the five weeks of training camp and the three preseason games.

“The evaluation on these guys is all encompassing. It goes back through the spring. It goes to what they’ve put on tape already as football players,” Stefanski said. “I know he wants to be out there, but he’s still very much involved.”

Stefanski did not give a timeline on when Pickett might return but said he would be evaluated Thursday, when practice isn’t scheduled. The injury occurred Saturday during a drill late in practice.

The injury could not have come at a worse time for Pickett, who was getting more comfortable with the offense and had his best practice Saturday.

“He did use his mobility a couple times there and is a fast player. He can really run. So we’ll make sure that he heals up nice and fast and then get him back out there. But I thought he had a good four days,” Stefanski said.

Pickett — who began his career with the Steelers and was acquired in a trade from Philadelphia in March — and Joe Flacco received most of the snaps with the first team during the first four days of practice. Dillon Gabriel got some first-team reps while Shedeur Sanders just began getting some second-team work Friday and Saturday.

Stefanski said Flacco will get the majority of the snaps that would have gone to Pickett.