On March 12th, 2025, the Cleveland Browns traded backup quarterback Dorian Thomson-Robinson and a 5th round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for their backup quarterback and former 2022 first round pick Kenny Pickett. The Cleveland Browns put themselves in a difficult quarterback situation due to the failed Deshaun Watson experiment. After a disappointing 3-14 2024 season that ended with Deshaun Watson on injured reserve with an Achilles Tendon tear. The Browns needed to hit the reset button at the quarterback position. And the first step in the 2025 offseason reset was trading for a young, low-cost veteran option at quarterback. But what will the Browns get with Pickett at quarterback?

Pickett was the 20th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2022 NFL Draft. He went on to start 24 games for the Steelers in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He also started one game for the Eagles in 2024. His overall record for NFL starts is 15-10. He has much needed NFL experience at quarterback the Cleveland Browns had to find. Pickett in his NFL career has a 62.4 completion percentage with 15 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. His passer rating is 79.4. His stats don’t necessarily jump out at you. But they show that he can be competent, and he may be effective in the right system.

Kenny Pickett won a Super Bowl Ring last season as the Philadelphia Eagles backup quarterback. His previous two seasons with the Steelers were underwhelming with first round pick expectations. Remember that Pickett’s offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh was Matt Canada and he was fired mid-season in 2023. Cleveland Browns General Manager Andrew Berry has a history of giving former first round picks that didn’t pan out a second chance in the NFL. Maybe a fresh start and a new environment will be what Pickett needs?

In 2025 the Cleveland Browns are going back to the run first with play action passing Kevin Stefanski style offense. The quarterback must take care of the ball and not commit turnovers while being productive in passing. Kenny Pickett himself said that he was excited about the opportunity to compete for a starting job with the Browns. And that opportunity is his to take advantage of in 2025 for the Cleveland Browns. Could he succeed in Cleveland this season? Why not? Sam Darnold did that in Minnesota last season. The only way to know for certain is to let him play and see what he can do. It certainly can’t be any worse than what happened in 2024.