Reviews are mixed about Cleveland’s latest edition to the quarterback room.
It was surreal to learn on Monday that the Cleveland Browns were trading quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a 2025 fifth-round draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Browns fans, after all, had spent two years laughing at the Pittsburgh Steelers for using a first-round draft pick on a quarterback who threw as many interceptions as touchdowns and failed to tally 200 passing yards in 15 of the 25 games he played with the Steelers.
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The trade also felt like a bit of a sidewise move. The Browns essentially swapped out Thompson-Robinson, a 25-year-old former fifth-round draft pick destined to be a team’s third-string quarterback, for Pickett, a former first-round draft pick who also feels destined to be a team’s third-string quarterback.
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Be that as it may, the deal is done, and Pickett will soon be wearing orange and brown as part of Cleveland’s rebuilt quarterback room. And just like in the days following the NFL Draft, grades must be handed out for trades like this one, so let’s run through what the national media has to say.
Vinnie Iyer at The Sporting News is a fan:
The Browns are working on moving on from Deshaun Watson, but it’s a process. DTR wasn’t a worthy part of that, already getting a long look over the past two seasons. Cleveland has tried to make it work with Joe Flacco and Jameis Winston, so going in a young direction with the 26-year-old Pickett makes sense. He is a good fit in the offense of Kevin Stefanski and Tommy Rees, but let’s hope this isn’t the only young QB shot the Browns take. Grade: B
Bryan DeArdo at CBS Sports really likes the trade:
Pickett is mobile, confident and can make things happen outside of the pocket. He does have a history of injuries, however, and his deep ball and accuracy have drawn some warranted criticism. Pickett is going to a good team from a schematic standpoint. After playing for run-first teams his first three seasons, Pickett will do so again in Cleveland. The Browns just need to add more pieces to their offense if they want Pickett to maximize his potential. Grade: A
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Brandon Little at A to Z Sports is more critical:
Cleveland is in a spot where they can take a chance on a reclamation product even if it doesn’t work out. Pickett is a better quarterback than Thompson-Robinson, who the Browns spent two seasons trying to groom into a quality backup. If the Browns had swapped the two players, then Cleveland would have done well with this trade.
But, nope, the Browns wasted a draft pick to acquire Pickett from the Eagles. Cleveland is taking a low-risk move by bringing in Pickett and it won’t cost them much on the cap. Higher upside options were out there if the Browns wanted a reclamation project. Names like Malik Willis of the Green Bay Packers and Joe Milton of the New England Patriots come to mind.
Pickett is likely competing to be the backup along with another quarterback who the team will bring in. If the Browns plan on giving Pickett a chance to be the starter, then they’re doing themselves a major disservice before the season even starts. There is nothing wrong with trying to find the next Geno Smith or Sam Darnold, players who find their footing eventually after slow starts to their careers. But giving up a draft asset just because isn’t the way to go about it. Grade: C-
Seth Walder at ESPN? Very much not a fan:
A year ago, the Eagles traded for Pickett by giving a package that, by our draft pick calculations, was roughly equivalent to a borderline fifth- or sixth-round pick. Forty-three pass attempts later and now the Browns have given up a fifth-round selection plus Thompson-Robinson for a more expensive year of Pickett (he’ll cost them $2.6 million in cash this year as opposed to a little under for $2 million for the Eagles last year). I don’t see the logic.
The Browns need a quarterback, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t believe that the team — which is highly leveraged against the cap and needs all the draft capital it can muster — ought to be burning picks on someone like Pickett. The former first-rounder — who ranked 20th in QBR his rookie season but dropped to 27th in 2023 before being discarded by the Steelers — has plenty of equivalents who could surely be acquired without giving up a fifth-round pick (and Thompson-Robinson). Grade: D
OK, time for everyone to calm it down a bit. If the Browns were bringing in Pickett as the unquestioned No. 1 quarterback then general manager Andrew Berry would have to answer some serious questions over what he is thinking.
But Cleveland is not done rebuilding the position and there will be (or at least should be) another veteran quarterback on the way, as well as a rookie come the 2025 NFL Draft. If the Browns are forced to play Pickett for an extended time this fall, then the season is already lost so it wouldn’t matter much if it was him or DTR lining up behind center.
And who knows? Maybe the year he spent with the Eagles was enough to wash off the stink of the Steelers and Pickett can be a competent quarterback if called upon.
How would you grade the trade for Kenny Pickett? Have your say in the comments!