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USA Today
25-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Diontae Johnson identifies Kenny Pickett as favorite in Browns QB battle
The Cleveland Browns are hosting a wide-open quarterback competition for the 2025 NFL season. The team's newest wide-out, Diontae Johnson, believes an early favorite emerged in the four-man race during minicamp. "I think they are going to roll with Kenny [Pickett] for right now," Johnson said during an appearance on the "Sports and Suits" podcast. "I've been seeing Kenny going like right now with the ones. Then Joe [Flacco] will come in." The Browns acquired Pickett in an offseason trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, who acquired Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round pick in the deal. It marked the second consecutive offseason during which Pickett was traded, as the 2022 first-round pick was dealt from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Eagles in 2024. Pickett served as the backup behind Jalen Hurts during his lone season in Philadelphia. He played sparingly, winning his lone start while completing 25 of 42 passes for 291 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Pickett saw action in the Eagles' 40-22 blowout win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59, failing to complete his only pass and taking a knee three times to seal the victory. NFL DRAFT: Adding NBA's lottery could be quite fun − but it's unlikely for 3 reasons Johnson – who played with Pickett in Pittsburgh – thinks that recent experience with a Super Bowl-winning team could aid the 27-year-old as he looks to establish himself as an NFL starter. "I think they are probably going to roll with him just to see like coming off the season – he was with Philly and having a Super Bowl," Johnson said. "So, I think they are going to stick with him through the preseason. Then, you know, they can live with what Joe comes and brings to the table." Johnson didn't provide much information on where rookie draft picks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders fall in Cleveland's current pecking order. Generally, the soon-to-be 29-year-old is trying not to focus too much on Cleveland's quarterback battle. Instead, he is simply trying to re-establish himself as a top NFL receiver after he played for three different teams in 2024 and was cut by the Baltimore Ravens after refusing to play in a game because of the cold. "I just want to attack every day one day at a time," Johnson said. "Not try to think too much about what's ahead and just be where my feet are because if I do that, I feel like I'm going to be pressing."
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Diontae Johnson expects Kenny Pickett to win starting job
The Browns have four quarterbacks competing for the starting job. Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco have a leg up on rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders from an experience standpoint. Flacco has 191 career starts and Pickett 30. Advertisement Wide receiver Diontae Johnson, who signed with the Browns as a free agent, has a favorite for the job. "I think they are going to roll with Kenny for right now," Johnson said during an appearance on the Sports and Suits podcast. Pickett made 24 starts in Pittsburgh his first two seasons before a trade to Philadelphia, where he sat behind Jalen Hurts for all but one game last season. He's still only 27. "I've been seeing Kenny going like right now with the ones. Then, Joe will come in," Johnson said. "I think they are probably going to roll with him just to see like he's coming off a season with Philly and having a Super Bowl. So, I think they are going to stick with him through the preseason. Then, you know they can live with Joe and what he brings to the table." Advertisement While the Browns have talked about keeping four quarterbacks on the active roster, it's unlikely. Most teams keep only two on the 53-player roster with another on the practice squad. Even if the Browns keep three quarterbacks on the active roster, one will have to go. That's likely either Flacco or Pickett, with the other starting the season under center.
NBC Sports
24-06-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Diontae Johnson expects Kenny Pickett to win starting job
The Browns have four quarterbacks competing for the starting job. Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco have a leg up on rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders from an experience standpoint. Flacco has 191 career starts and Pickett 30. Wide receiver Diontae Johnson, who signed with the Browns as a free agent, has a favorite for the job. 'I think they are going to roll with Kenny for right now,' Johnson said during an appearance on the Sports and Suits podcast. Pickett made 24 starts in Pittsburgh his first two seasons before a trade to Philadelphia, where he sat behind Jalen Hurts for all but one game last season. He's still only 27. 'I've been seeing Kenny going like right now with the ones. Then, Joe will come in,' Johnson said. 'I think they are probably going to roll with him just to see like he's coming off a season with Philly and having a Super Bowl. So, I think they are going to stick with him through the preseason. Then, you know they can live with Joe and what he brings to the table.' While the Browns have talked about keeping four quarterbacks on the active roster, it's unlikely. Most teams keep only two on the 53-player roster with another on the practice squad. Even if the Browns keep three quarterbacks on the active roster, one will have to go. That's likely either Flacco or Pickett, with the other starting the season under center.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Browns wide receiver Diontae Johnson predicts Kenny Pickett will get first shot as team's starting QB
The Cleveland Browns have a four-pronged quarterback competition this offseason, complete with a pair of rookies, the backup quarterback of last season's Super Bowl champs and a 40-year-old veteran who already temporarily rescued the franchise once as NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2023. With Deshaun Watson still recovering from the Achilles tear he suffered this past January, the spotlight is on Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders, Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco. Advertisement Wide receiver Diontae Johnson, a one-time Pro Bowler who signed with the Browns this spring, has a prediction for which quarterback will come out on top this summer. "I think they are going to roll with Kenny for right now," Johnson said while appearing on the "Sports and Suits" podcast earlier this month. "I've been seeing Kenny going like right now with the ones. Then Joe will come in," Johnson said. "I think they are probably going to roll with [Kenny] just to see like he's coming off a season with Philly and having a Super Bowl. So, I think they are going to stick with him through the preseason. Then you know they can live with Joe and what he brings to the table." Johnson is hoping to turn the page after a 2024 campaign that was memorable for all the wrong reasons. He split time with three teams: the Carolina Panthers, the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. He made headlines in his second stop when the Ravens suspended him one game for refusing to enter a Week 13 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Johnson's best days came in Pittsburgh, where he spent 2019-23. Advertisement Johnson and Pickett were Steelers teammates for two seasons from 2022-23. During that span, Pickett went 14-10 as the starter, and Johnson caught a total of 137 passes for 1,599 yards and five touchdowns. The Steelers drafted Pickett out of University of Pittsburgh with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 draft. Pickett got the first chance to succeed a newly-retired Ben Roethlisberger but, despite his winning record, posted a meager 13:13 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his two seasons as QB1. Pittsburgh moved on from Pickett ahead of the 2024 season, trading him to the Philadelphia Eagles that offseason. The Steelers, meanwhile, entered last season with both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in their quarterback room, neither of whom are still with the team. Pickett backed up Eagles star Jalen Hurts, appearing in five games during a Super Bowl season. He completed 25-of-42 passes (59.5%) while recording 291 yards through the air, two touchdowns and one interception. He won his only start of the season, a 41-7 drubbing of the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys. Advertisement Pickett even got to take the field in the Super Bowl, stepping in for garbage time snaps during the Eagles' blowout victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. He took his ring with him to Cleveland in March when the Browns traded for him in exchange for quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and the 2025 fifth-round pick Cleveland had acquired from Detroit. Pickett is only 27 years old. He could be next in an increasingly-long line of former first-round quarterbacks finding success in the second and third acts of their NFL careers. But in order for Johnson's summer prediction to come true, Pickett will have to beat out a still-strong-armed Flacco, plus a 2024 Heisman Trophy finalist in Gabriel as well as Sanders, last year's Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
USA Today
21-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Diontae Johnson supports ex-Steelers teammate, predicts Kenny Pickett to start for Browns
Kenny Pickett and Diontae Johnson have reunited on the Browns — and the ex-Steelers wideout believes his former QB will get the starting nod in Cleveland. On an episode of the Sports and Suits podcast, Johnson subtly explained that Pickett has been getting the Browns' starting QB reps: "I think [the Browns] are gonna roll with Kenny [Pickett] right now," Johnson said. "I've been seeing Kenny, right now, with the ones — and then Joe [Flacco] will come in. I think they're probably gonna roll with [Pickett], just like to see — coming off the season he was with Philly and having a Super Bowl." Johnson then addressed concerns over Pickett's hand size, claiming that the former Steelers QB "can spin it" even with gloves on. The Pickett-to-Johnson connection in Pittsburgh lasted just two years — as the Steelers traded Kenny "Two Gloves" to the Eagles, and Johnson to the Panthers in March of 2024. The two former Steelers teammates will look to play a major role in Cleveland's offense in 2025 — and they'll both get their first opportunity at a revenge game when the Browns head to Pittsburgh in Week 6 this upcoming season. For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like.
