Grading the surprising trade the Cleveland Browns made out of left field on the first day of free agency
Heading into free agency it was clear that the Cleveland Browns would be adding at least one quarterback. It wasn’t free agency where the Browns added their first quarterback of the offseason though, Cleveland opted to make a surprising trade. The Browns sent a fifth-round pick (via Detroit Lions) and QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson to the […]
Heading into free agency it was clear that the Cleveland Browns would be adding at least one quarterback. It wasn’t free agency where the Browns added their first quarterback of the offseason though, Cleveland opted to make a surprising trade.
The Browns sent a fifth-round pick (via Detroit Lions) and QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson to the Philadelphia Eagles for QB Kenny Pickett. It was a nice out of left field that no one saw coming for Cleveland.
Cleveland very well could opt to add a quarterback in free agency now, as well as the draft. A full overhaul of the room is taking place outside of Deshaun Watson, who probably won’t play a single snap in 2025. Now that the dust has settled from the trade, let’s see how the Browns did.
Grading the Cleveland Browns trade that sent Dorian Thompson-Robinson and draft compensation to the Eagles for Kenny Pickett
The trade was not well accepted on social media by fans after the news broke. Pickett is known by Cleveland fans as being the first-round bust to the Pittsburgh Steelers from the 2022 NFL Draft. Pickett was given two years to show franchise quarterback abilities but was unable to do that with the Steelers.
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.
There are other moves to be made to have a full feel of what the Browns are going to do at QB as a whole. On a surface level, it is worth taking a chance on a former first-round pick who was just a backup for a Super Bowl-winning team. If the Browns could have done it without giving up a fifth-round pick, there would be no issue with this trade.
Final grade: C-
