Browns and Eagles deal brought Cleveland a quarterback but did Kenny Pickett change in one year in Philadelphia?
The Cleveland Browns acquisition of QB Kenny Pickett in a trade has very few fans excited but, in the era of reclamation projects, could Pickett be next? A year with the Philadelphia Eagles doesn’t mean Pickett is ready to live up to his first round status but we saw Baker Mayfield turn part of a season with the Los Angles Rams and Sam Darnold turn one year with the Minnesota Vikings into success.
Did the same thing happen with Pickett with the Eagles? Those are mighty high expectations for a quarterback who was widely considered to be overdrafted by a couple of rounds and lacks some of the physical traits that Mayfield and Darnold (and even Daniel Jones) have.
We reached out to our partner at Bleeding Green Nation about Pickett’s one year in Philadelphia. Their Producer, Brandon Gowton, provided us some insight on Cleveland’s new quarterback:
1) Did he meet your expectations after the Eagles acquired him? Fall short? Exceed?
At the time of last year’s trade, I didn’t love the price the Eagles paid to acquire Pickett. I also wasn’t thrilled about him being a road block to Tanner McKee’s development.
Pickett then struggled in training camp practices and preseason games. I didn’t have a lot of confidence in him as Jalen Hurts’ backup. Pickett didn’t play that great when he filled in for a concussed Hurts in Week 16 but he did do enough to help the Eagles win that game if DeVonta Smith doesn’t drop a wide open first down conversion near the end of that one. While playing through a rib injury, Pickett performed better against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17.
Ultimately, I think he met relatively low expectations. The Eagles have certainly had worse backup QBs. They’ve also had better.
2) Anything about his preseason performance that stood out as surprising to you?
Not necessarily surprising but definitely annoying: he didn’t play within himself. He tried to do too much out there in terms of extending plays and trying to force the issue. He also rarely threw the ball downfield despite holding onto it for forever.
3) Pickett started one game and threw a few highlights but also a horrific pass, what was your comfort level with him if Jalen Hurts couldn’t start the first playoff game?
The Eagles should’ve been underdogs in that scenario but I hardly would’ve said they are hopeless. The Eagles would’ve been able to lean heavily on Saquon Barkley and their top-ranked defense. One good thing about Pickett’s career body of work is that he’s not a turnover machine. I would’ve had hope that he could at least take care of the football.
4) Everything the Eagles touch seems to work, do you think they “fixed” any specific part of Pickett’s game?
I can’t say I noticed Pickett evolve as a player. Just not enough of a sample size.I do think this is a decent pickup for the Browns given their undesirable QB situation. I doubt Pickett can be a viable starter at this point but his salary is really cheap so it’s probably worth a look. There are worse backup QB options in the league.
Not surprisingly, Gowton’s analysis fits with the grades we’ve seen given to the Browns acquisition of Pickett.
Do you have any hope that Pickett could join Mayfield, Darnold and (maybe) Jones as reclamation projects that turn it around with a new team?
Share your thoughts on what Gowton shared about Pickett’s time with the Eagles and what your expectations are down in our comment section