Who Should I Start? Kenny Pickett or Cam Ward

Monday, April 28, 4:10 PM

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that the Cleveland Browns will not pick up quarterback Kenny Pickett's fifth-year option. It isn't a surprise, considering Pickett hasn't exactly shown out when given the chance. The 26-year-old is on his fourth team in four seasons after the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted him No. 20 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. Pickett played second fiddle to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts last season, appearing in five games, though he only attempted a pass in three of them. In two seasons with the Steelers, the Pittsburgh product put together an underwhelming 4,474-yard line on a 63% completion percentage with a 13:13 TD:INT ratio in 25 games (24 starts). He may get a shot at some in-game action this season, but it's difficult to tell when (or if) that may be due to the presence of veteran Joe Flacco and recently acquired draftees Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.

Tuesday, May 13, 2:53 PM

The Tennessee Titans are working to make rookie quarterback Cam Ward as comfortable as possible in his new NFL offense, according to ESPN's Turron Davenport. Head coach Brian Callahan and company are integrating passing concepts from Miami's offense last season to help expedite the transition from college to the pros for its No. 1 overall pick. "We have it all broken down and put it all in our terminology," Callahan said. "We try to teach our system the way we run it, and then we take input from Cam." The team hopes to replicate the early success of CJ Stroud in 2023 and Jayden Daniels in 2024, and Ward has made a habit of having strong first years in new systems. The Texas native transitioned from a wing-T offense in high school to an air raid scheme as a freshman at Incarnate Word. He then had two fantastic years at Washington State before becoming a Heisman contender in just one season at Miami. While Ward appears to be pro-ready, it's still most common for rookie quarterbacks to have a healthy amount of ups and downs. Additionally, the Titans' pass-catching group, led by Calvin Ridley, is one of the worst in the NFL, so fantasy football expectations for Ward should be tempered in Year 1.