Who Should I Start? Diontae Johnson or Pat Bryant

Tuesday, June 24, 2:10 PM

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Diontae Johnson believes veteran quarterback Kenny Pickett will be the team's starting quarterback following the competition against Joe Flacco and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Pickett spent last season with the Philadelphia Eagles, winning his first Super Bowl ring as Jalen Hurts' backup. The 2022 first-round pick out of Pitt struggled to make a positive impact with the Pittsburgh Steelers, throwing for 4,474 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 25 career games. He looked competent in limited action with the Eagles, throwing for 291 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. However, that was behind the league's best offensive line and with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and Saquon Barkley to throw the ball to. If Pickett wins the starting job in Cleveland, he likely won't offer much fantasy upside and can be ignored in single-QB formats to start the new campaign. If he struggles early, the team could opt to move to Joe Flacco or one of the first-year signal callers.

Wednesday, July 2, 6:24 PM

Denver Broncos rookie third-round wide receiver Pat Bryant consistently showed physicality to win contested catches during the team's offseason program, according to ESPN's Jeff Legwold. Additionally, quarterback Bo Nix showed the confidence to target Bryant in tight situations. Consistent playing time could be hard to come by with Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr. and Troy Franklin getting most of the work with the starters, but Legwold thinks Bryant will be in the mix if he builds on his offseason work in training camp and the preseason. The 22-year-old from Illinois isn't a burner by any means, but the Broncos saw a precise route-runner who consistently created space with an explosive release off the line of scrimmage. Bryant has been compared to former Saints wideout Michael Thomas, who had quite a run in Sean Payton's offense in New Orleans. For now, Bryant is one to watch with training camp approaching.