DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Browns Trade for Kenny Pickett

I'm laughing and barfing.

Now I see why Myles wanted to stay in Cleveland

He thinks the plan is worth it

I agree with ya Milk Man

Fine with this - anyone else is better than Dorian.

Basically, a 5th round pick and a way for AB to save face for drafting DTR instead of Nacua.

Agreed. KP is probably as good or better than anyone we have right now. Capable backup.

Ok they up graded their 3rd string QB. I am not heart broken DTR is no longer a Brown.

I now want 2 QB in this draft more than ever.

Low bar seeing as DTR was the only QB on the roster. I do not like giving up a draft pick to get a terrible QB. Just sign another schlub like Heinicke if you want a cheap QB.

SO who are we going to draft?

Wednesday might start making that question a little clearer

He is definitely our reclamation project.

Solid backup QB, it’s worth a fifth rounder imo.

Can the Browns trade Pickett, as in a package deal to another team ?

I know this doesn't fall under the three months rule for free agents.

I don't think Pickett is very good, but DTR is horrendous. I think he could be a decent back up. He does have starting experience.

backup for Cousins

And it continues since 1999. The Browns have a QB room filled
With 1st RD busts . It never changes

Pickett > DTR

I do not disagree. $2.6M salary and a 5th round pick pick for Pickett is my issue.

$2.6M salary is fine for a QB2, not for QB3. Giving up a 5th round pick does not seem wise. Pickett is not good.

Part of me thinks Pickett will be the QB2.

I think that’s probably the case. He might even be QB1 if we draft a QB and sit him until he’s ready.

Tell the equipment room staff to load up on Youth Large gloves and easy on the stickum!

LMAO !

Reading the rationale here, we're spending 2.6m and a draft pick on someone 'cuz they don't quite suck as bad as DTR.
He's QB1 as of now. Reading the rationale here, we're spending 2.6m and a draft pick on someone 'cuz they don't quite suck as bad as DTR.

I really felt that Stefanski was going to get a QB at #2 no matter what. I still have a hard time believing they won't use that pick to get a young QB. But this move getting Kenny Pickett has me questioning myself. My first reaction was OK they upgraded DTR. I agree he is an upgrade from DTR. But he is also young and a past 1st round pick. Maybe he is the 2nd string QB with possible upside that Stefanski wants to see what he can get out of him. I could see with Pickett in the fold that the Browns still will sign Kirk Cousins once he is released and have Pickett backing him up. Then the Browns could draft a player like Ohio QB Will Howard as the 3rd string QB. That QB room would look much more like a Kevin Stefanski QB room and he would have 2 young QB's to evaluate behind Cousins. With Pickett's past starting in the league, it is some insurance behind Cousins while a QB like Howard can learn behind. Again I still think the Browns will take a QB at 2 but if the player they really like is not there they now have options.

My read of your post- Howard at number 2.....get real. Pickett an upgrade over DTR....time will tell IF we take a QB at 2....I pray we DON'T....I'm unimpressed with ANY QB....please not SANDERS, who has little arm strength. Trade down and get picks.

We still have so many holes to fill like QB1, DT, LB, S, OL, WR

He didn't say Howard at #2. He thought we would draft a QB at 2 but if we get Cousins then we could pick up Howard later in the draft.

I get some of the reactions if people think Pickett was brought in to be the starter. I don't think he was. He was brought in to be #2.

He replaces Dorian who wasn't going to make the team and we gave up a 5th round pick which belonged to the Lions, so it is a late 5th rounder.

I agree that Pickett is a very low end of low tier starters. As a back-up he is solidly in the middle to maybe top tier given his starting experience.

Solid move. Seriously, what were some of you expecting by giving up Dorian and a late 5th round pick? We went from Dorian, who totally sucked when given a chance. Change might do him good. We picked up a guy who can step in and do a creditable job when called upon.

Sounds like a win to me.

For the time being, I think he will be slated in as QB2 and then the FO will push to get someone like Cousins/Flacco.....I'd lean Cousins.

If that happens, I wouldn't be surprised to see them pass on a QB at #2, especially if Ward is gone, which I expect. I feel like the Browns FO would go BPA if they select at 2 and go with either Carter or Hunter. They could also trade down to accumulate assets for the QB class of next year as well. As time has gone by, I am less confident they take a QB.

But I reserve the right to change my mind...even as soon as I hit the 'post reply' button.

Have we ever gone into camp with the "right" amount of QBs? I feel like we almost always sign at least 1 extra FA QB (in addition to the draft).

Had to get a guy who fit the budget. DTR sucked so it's an upgrade.

...Myles, please tell me the plan they laid out for you wasn't putting together the lowest ceiling QB room in the league and having them compete.

The thought of a Cousins, Sanders, Pickett QB room is almost enough to sway me over to the should have fired everyone camp.

Two "good" organizations gave up on Pickett in 3 years. The ability to see the field is useless if you don't have the ability to take advantage of what you see.

He had 13 TDs and 13 INTs in 24 starts with the Steelers. He actually went into those seasons as the starter, it wasn't as a replacement in an offense designed for somebody else. He averaged less than a single TD per game.

Addison toasting bad DBs off the line and making Pickett's lobbed wobblers work is the only reason he got drafted. Going back and watching 2021 Pitt games only made me feel worse.

Bleh, I hate this move so much. Might as well have set the 5th rounder on fire. Could have used it on a QB in the draft that actually has tools worth trying to develop. Could have traded for a punter and had a better chance of hitting on a QB.

How do you go through the Watson trade fiasco and then get even worse at evaluating QBs? Moxy is a bonus, not something to bet on.

I'm fine with getting rid of DTR. I'd rather have no QBs on the roster than waste anything on Pickett. With DTR there was hope of development. With Pickett there's hope of not scaring away Cousins and that's about the best spin I can put on it. ...And I don't particularly want Cousins.

Pickett's less talented than DTR.

I get the idea of gambling on former first round picks. Pickett should not have been a first round pick. The Eagles already made the gamble and quickly decided they'd rather go with DTR and a 5th round pick. I'd rather have the 5th round pick, too.

...There's a tiny glimmer of hope somewhere in the back of my head that by going vehemently against him, I can reverse jinx it. Lol.

Really, I just think landing on Pickett could only be the result of a horrible process. And a horrible process on QBs is not something I want to see ever, and particularly not right now.

What's the upside of the move? He's in the last year of a rookie deal, he's got tiny hands and no plus tools, and had the locker room problem red flag in Pittsburgh (wasn't going to stay to be the backup.)

When Mike Tomlin wants to get rid of a player he just used a first round pick on two seasons ago because he's not worth the headache, I want no part.

I'm so confused when I see a post like this. In PIT, "Tomlin wants to get of a player he just used a first-round pick on two seasons ago." Is this only in Pittsburgh that the HC has a say who stays or goes on a team? Here in Cleveland, many here will swear that Stefanski has no "say so" in player selection and thus should not be held accountable for the poor players he is told will be on the roster. Just wondering if Pittsburgh is the ONLY NFL team that considers the opinion or wishes of the HC.

Pickett > Dorian (as Balpeen indicated not worthy of 3 letter nickname) by a longshot and talent and Dorian should never be used in the same sentence.

I don't get this part. Eagles didn't "gamble" on Pickett. They have Hurts and brought in someone on the cheap to be a backup. Depending on who else gets added, this would be the same move. That's not "gambling" on him. It's filling a roster spot with a guy that has starter experience. It feels like yesterday when we went into the season with DTR and the XFL guy as our backups.

Do you have anything to say to the actual point, or do you just get perverse pleasure in taking your anti-Berry/Stefanski crusade everywhere?

Pickett isn’t a trade that will change the Browns future. If our starting quarterback gets injured the season is probably over anyway so…

My absolutely biggest fear is that we go for Cousins. (Great guy, role model, liked by almost everyone including me but his time as a starting QB is most likely over after his latest injury)

I know the Browns have a long tradition of making stupid decisions but please, no, I really pray to higher powers that at some point our GM uses his common sense and not fall for achievements in the past. Most likely his actual level is how he performed in his latest games with the Falcons but unfortunately I’m not optimistic that Berry has the capacity to see beyond the obvious.

Kenny Pickett is better than DTR, Jeff Driskel and PJ Walker, guys we had to start in 2023. He's here in a backup role probably 3rd string depending on what else we do at the QB position. He'll probably be gone after this coming season.

The point you yourself made was that Tomlin wanted to get rid of a player he just used a first-round pick on 2 seasons ago. Did you not post that fact? My point here is the Berry/Stefanski crowd here continually state that Stefanski has no say or input on who's retained on the roster and who is not. So, who is right? Is Tomlin and the Steelers the norm in the NFL or is it the Berry/Stefanski setup that's the norm? Is the signing of Pickett a lone Berry decision or was Stefanski consulted? Maybe neither one of them made the decision and Haslam ordered them to do it. I mean the Browns have a 5-year losing record with this group. Who's pulling the strings: just Berry, or just Stefanski, or maybe it's all Haslam? That's the actual point to your post - inquiring minds just want to know.

Maybe they think playing behind Flacco might fix him?

C-O-L-L-A-B-O-R-A-T-I-V-E

They gave the Steelers a 3rd rounder (and a couple 7th rounders which don't have a ton of value) for Pickett and a 4th. The difference in value between pick 98 and pick 120 is about the value of pick 120 (a mid 4th rounder.) (NFL Trade Value Chart Link) They thought maybe he'd be better than he looked in Pittsburgh. He really wasn't. Same limitations showed up.

A 5th round pick for a guy you never want to see play and will be gone after the year, seems like a waste of a pick, to me. People keep saying he's better, but his tools are suspect. He's better at what? Getting unwarranted opportunities? Getting carried?

Adding him without the pick(s) wouldn't be a gamble, and wouldn't bother me so much. Spending a pick when a guy has already shown you who he is (and it's not great) and is only under contract for a year (unless you want to pick up the giant 5th year option), seems like a bad bet. Why get a guy who more or less sucks when you could instead use the pick to get a player that might be good. The 49ers found Purdy with the last pick in the draft. Why not give yourself a chance to get lucky?

Do you really believe Pickett is suddenly going to get better on a new team, learning a new offense, where that team is also likely trying to develop a rookie, and hopefully has a better starter?

I get the idea of getting a cheap backup. I don't get why they went with Pickett. They could have gotten Flacco for about the same amount of money (spotrac market value has him at $3.2M) without giving up a pick and he's actually functioned well in NFL offenses, even ours. He doesn't have to learn the offense from scratch. He has game reps in it. He won games. With us.

The idea of what Berry and Stefanski say makes sense, but when it actually comes to executing those things I'm starting to wonder if they're just awful at the part that actually matters. Good plans? Okay. Actually making the plans work? Not so far.

So, crusading all day, every day, everywhere? Okay.

Colbert was the GM when they drafted Pickett. Colbert was gone before they got rid of Pickett. Tomlin was still there. He's the entrenched coach. He has the juice over newbie Omar Khan who was more of a business side/operations guy before getting the GM title.

Did Tomlin not want rid of Kenny? Has Tomlin dealt with a plethora of other head cases in his time with the Steelers? Did Chase Claypool last longer? I saw this tweet recently and had it in mind:

On further consideratoin, I am not a fan of the trade
I would rather have kept that 5th rounder and used it on someone like Roarke the Indiana Qb

I also would have preferred to trade that 5th for Malik Willis
Historically, if GB does something well, it's develop qb's

Kenny Pick6.

Just getting a head start on the nicknames.

Cleveland does. AB makes the decision but Cleveland gets input from Kevin, all of the coaches, pro scouts, college scouts, pro player personnel.

As Hammer was so kind to post already

C-O-L-L-A-B-O-R-A-T-I-V-E

AB makes the final decision BUT it's not a dictatorship in Cleveland. They all work together. You want to give praise you need to give it to them all. You want to bash them well you need to bash them all. It's a team off the field just as much as on the field.

He's a backup QB. I can understand not liking him as a player when he's in the game and wanting someone else, but I just can't bring myself to get worked up over a guy that will probably have to compete for a backup spot (side note: if we don't pick up another FA QB AND draft a legit QB then all I'm saying here is null and void). He could just as easily get the Dobbs treatment (brought in for camp and cut/traded before the season). Or, if we bring in an actual starter-caliber FA (Cousins or Flacco or someone in that tier), and the drafted QB actually shows something in camp, then Pickett is maybe the third QB.


There are so many other spots on the roster that, if not addressed by AB and co, could sink the team for the next season. Backup QB isn't one of them.

Which is why wasting a pick on a guy you hope doesn't make the roster is so aggravating.

Especially when better players were available without the draft pick cost and could have been had at similar salary.

There is no world where I want to build an offense around Kenny Pickett. The Eagles would have had to offer us a pick for me to take him, and I'd still have immediately cut him.

You want to sign Pickett to the practice squad after the Eagles cut him? Fine. I still don't like it, but you're not passing on almost certainly more upside in the draft.

High floor arguments work for me at every position except QB. (And the floor here isn't that high) Having a Kenny Pickett at QB makes everything harder for everyone else.

Wins aren't a QB specific stat. Watch the tape. Pickett's not good.

I don't care if he's cheap or won't play. A bad QB is a bad QB. I see no reason to have one on the roster.

Maybe, he can recapture his mojo and not be completely awful, but I see a hesitant QB. With his limitations, that doesn't work at this level. You end up with ridiculous looking plays where you throw yourself instead of the ball.

I know someone tried to make this a personal issue with you but I won't do that. I will tell you the vast difference between the two HC's and why I feel your comparison makes no sense however.

Mike Tomlin has been the Steelers HC since Jan. of 2007. He has led the Steelers to 2 SB appearances winning 1 of them. He has taken the Steelers to 12 playoff appearances, 7 AFC North titles, a 183-107-2 regular season record and holds holds the record for most consecutive non-losing seasons to begin a coaching career with 18.

Nobody hands the reigns over to a HC until they earn it through their accomplishments. Even then often times they work in unison with the GM. Trying to compare Tomlin to Stefanski is something I thought was a bridge you wouldn't try to cross. I think you already know that doesn't make any sense.

I believe you made my point with your comments. Only a fool would believe that Stefanski was on the same level as Tomlin. I also do not believe that Tomlin makes the trades or cuts just by himself. I do believe he has a greater influence on what the team does with those moves than many HC's. I also don't believe for a second that the moves being made by Berry hasn't been consulted with Stefanski. If someone can provide proof that Stefanski has no say whatsoever, then I will double down on the fact that Stefanski should be fired. He's not really a head coach, he's Berry's puppet. As it stands, IMHO, Stefanski and Berry are a team and been together for 5-years now and sporting a losing record. They are equally liable for the product they have put on the field to get that losing record.

Maybe it should be you who shows proof he does. You seem to be confused here. Nobody said that Stefanski doesn't give his input. The issue is how much weight and say does his input hold with AB?

And how would firing Stefanski change the way AB operates no matter who the HC is? That doesn't make any sense.

You do realize anyone can say something and then say, "prove I'm wrong" correct? That in no way means they're right. They're just throwing out their opinion like everyone else does.

Not many coaches would measure up to Tomlin. I do know that Stefanski has been named 2-time NFL coach of the year, and we are lucky to have him as coach of the Cleveland Browns. Before Stefanski arrived, the Browns have only had 2 winning seasons in 21 years and only 1 playoff appearance. He has 2 winning seasons and 2 playoff appearances in 5 years.

He's also been the benefactor of having an owner that allowed them to have the highest average spend in the entire NFL over the last 4-years. After an unexpected turn around in 2020 resulting in a playoff appearance with a 3rd year QB, rookie HC and GM; Haslam opened up his wallet to build on that success and bring a Super Bowl team to Cleveland. That ROI has been rewarded with a losing record of 29-39 a .426-win percentage in that 4-year period. Berry, Stefanski, and the Browns will most likely be the highest spend in the NFL again. This season isn't looking promising according to the sport reporters, but I take the wait and see attitude. I just believe they (Berry and Stefanski) has failed to deliver since Haslam opened up the wallet to win and I have little faith in them turning this team into a winner in 2025 no matter how much money they spend of Haslam's.

The problem is Cleveland is not the GM it is not the coaches. Bottom line is this franchise has not had a franchise QB since Bernie Kosar. Without a franchise QB you will see same ROI as we have been seeing. Fix that and the ROI will change dramatically. Stefanski is a good coach and if we fired him, he would be picked up really fast by a needy team. What he did in 2023 was amazing. Cannot mimic that performance year after year, it was not sustainable.

Can you explain how Haslam's money was spent, who was responsible for spending that money and how that helped the QB position? Who is in charge of spending that money?

If the person in charge of spending the money just throws money at it, that doesn't fix the problem. Investing that money properly would have.

Somehow it seems you have convinced yourself that Stefanski is at least somewhat involved with the signing of players, how much the team should pay them and spending the money. I have no idea how you accomplished that but you did.

Basically I agree with your post. Pickett wasn't brought here to be the starter. It's not worth getting riled up over. The only point of contention I might have is not having a good back-up last season didn't do us any favors. We wouldn't have been superbowl favorites, but we would have won several more ballgames had we had even decent QB play.

I'll say this... if we end up with Pickett and Wilson as our FA QBs, I'll kinda do a 180 on this trade and get mad.

Pit, you're smarter than that comment. I never said Stefanski had any say in how much a player should be paid or spending the money. What I did say is Haslam has opened his wallet 4-years ago to build on the success of the 2020 team. If Stefanski was animent that he could have worked with Mayfield and he had continued playoff capabilities to eventually make it to the Super bowl, Mayfield will still be here. He obviously did not believe that, so he told Berry who was in the middle of extension talks with Mayfield. You will never make me believe that Stefanski hasn't had conversations with Berry and Haslam on a consistent basis as to what he believes he needs to be a winner as far as players and positions. Are there untouchables, I believe so. Normally, you'd think your 1st round drafted QB that led you to the playoffs for the first time in 2 decades would be one, NOT. Garrett is probably another and maybe Ward. In any case, it's a fact that Haslam opened up his wallet after the 2020 season. Berry and Stefanski collaborated on the needs going forward. Berry was actually the spender, but Stefanski had a say in the need. Whatever the reason, the Browns threw money at the problems, and it has not fixed the problems. In fact, after 4-years, IMHO - the Browns are not as good of a team as it was in 2020. Four years later and sporting a losing record over that timeframe and it's clear that the money was not properly invested.

So now we enter the 2025 season, and the Browns have 2 players making $40M plus a season, the Browns have $54,535,075 plus in dead cap they have to show this year for poor cap choices and management, still no franchise QB, still going to be the highest spend team in the NFL again, looking at another losing season, and still not getting anywhere close to a ROI for the spend.

And in an extremely weak division Mayfield hasn't led the Bucs to a SB either. Not even an NFC championship game. So there's that.

I'm sure Stefanski tells Berry the type of player he needs at every position. I'm sure he tells him his biggest areas of need. What Stefanski has no power to do is select sign specific players. To claim such a thing would mean that the analytics department is getting paid to do nothing and that Berry has no say in the spending nor is it berry's role to manage the salary cap. You make it sound as if Stefanski just makes a wish list and AB's job is to do nothing but fill that wish list. In terms of the draft why would you have a scouting department to play a pivotal role in ranking the draft board if all they were doing is filling a Stefanski wish list?

Once again you're trying to spread the blame on how that money is being spent and where we currently are on someone other than the man responsible for making those calls.

And you claim it's me that is smarter than to make such comments?

Kenny Pickett has a good chance to become the Browns starting quarterback W1 according to MKC.
Starting quarterback

1. Has Pickett what it takes to on a regular basis produce around 24+ point per game?

2. The Browns have 5 quarterbacks on their payroll, ATM 4 of them compete for a starting spot W1.
Is it possible to give every one of them enough practice time so they all have a fair chance to become the starter?

3. Should Stefanski cut any QB before the season starts and if so who?

4. Gabriel or Sanders. Who do you predict will succeed long term and who’s your personal favorite to become the Browns FQB?

MKC is the worst reporter. more than half of what she says doesn't come true.

I know he’s old and seemed to be used up last season, but he seemed used up before playing in Stefanski’s system. I will be shocked if Flacco isn’t the day one starter. He’s has the most experience, had the most success over, not just the other 4 QBs on this team, but more than most of the QBs in this league. Berry has been regretting not re-signing him since Watson made the ultimatum. Pretty sure Stefanski had his back last year and this was him winning the debate this year. It’s Flacco’s job to lose.

I don’t know if the Browns can afford to keep 4 on the final roster. I do believe Gabriel has a better chance than Sanders to make the PS. That might be the final decision with Pickett being the backup to Flacco. At the end of the day, 5’11” isn’t ideal and I don’t see him being snatched up if the Browns decide to cut one of the four.

As for #4, I think neither will be long term successful. I don’t think the future QB is on the roster. This was an offseason of Berry trying to put the Browns in the best possible situation at the position in an offseason that was horrible for a team in need of a QB.

the thing about pickett is that he is an awesome training camp Qb
He will look teerrific in pre-season
So I can see him winning the job
Trouble is, that hasn't translated into the regular season

I think Stefanski is a much better play caller than Matt Canada. Whether or not that matters we'll have to wait and see.

I'm not particularly high on Pickett, but maybe it's just the right match and things will click. I don't think so, but who knows?

If Flacco starts the season, it better be because Pickett was traded. Ideally, we want to see Pickett ball out during preseason and be tradable. Sometime during the season, one of the rookies becomes the starter.

It is crazy to think Flacco starts all 17 games. It's been several years since Joe played a whole season.

Don't be surprised if Flacco is waived and Pickett starts the first 4-8 games.

I know people like Flacco, but Flacco is not the future.

Hopefully, the worst case is that Pickett buys us a couple of years.

We want to see one of these rookies show a sign that they can be a starting quarterback. What if next year the quarterback class becomes similar to this year? We could have Sanders or Gabriel start and not repeat the search for someone to play quarterback next year. I thought this year was pretty slim pickings!

What Flacco brings is leadership to the QB room. Without him it severely lacks in that area. Joe may not be the future of the Browns in that room, but he has a big influence with the guys in that room. Guys who might be the future.

I agree that at some point we need to start playing the young guys. Maybe as early as week 1 as you suggest. I would also sacrifice one roster position elsewhere and keep all 4 QBs for at least most of the season, and at that point it might as well be the whole season.

No doubt Joe won't be on the team next year. Pickett, Gabe, and Sanders will be on the team. All of those guys will get playing time.

How Stefanski does that is up in the air. Will he run a QB rotation? Will he play those guys in half games on a rotating basis? Three pre-season games probably won't be a long enough look to be able to get a true sense of who is who.

If Pickett could somehow turn it around and be a big time NFL QB it would be so great. Not only would the Browns find a franchise QB, but the Steelers would agonize over it for a decade. Now I am not holding my breath it will happen but just how great would that be.

Pickett has historically looked phenomenal in preseason and then come back down to Earth in week 1. That said, I could see the argument of throwing him (a vet with an outside chance of catching on with KS) into the fire and seeing what happens. If I had more confidence that Flacco would hold up against the beating of an NFL season, I'd want to flip Pickett.

Plus, our offseason moves don't exactly scream "we're gonna make some noise this year".

There’re two competitions from my perspective.

Flacco vs. Pickett and Gabriel vs. Sanders.

The sooner Stefanski can figure out who’s his preferred starter thes better.

If Pickett plays well, the concern will be how much he will cost the Browns next year.

I am curious what Stefanski does with these two rookie quarterbacks. Play a rotational mix having Flacco/PIckett, Gabriel, and Sanders play every third game!

Ideally, I would like to see Gabriel or Sanders start next year with the other as a backup. Then draft another quarterback next year. It doesn't necessarily need to be a first round.

Musgrave, the quarterback coach, is the key figurehead here. I assume he had input on who to draft, and whether he can make one a starter.

I don't think Cleveland will follow traditional rules when it comes to coaching these two quarterbacks. Stefanski will receive a lot of flak because he is not doing it correctly. In the end, we find our guy!

I believe the goal at QB is as follows

1) Pickett vs Flacco to start the season. Loser will get traded or cut.
2) If Pickett wins then the season is all about Stefanski and staff developing him into a franchise QB. If not when to start the rookies. If he does somehow develop into a franchise QB the Browns will find the $$$ to keep him.
If Flacco he will start as long as healthy, and Browns are contending. As soon as they stop contending it will be time for the rookies.
3) Who wins the QB battle between Gabriel and Sanders. The winner will get first crack to show if they possibly could show potential to be a franchise QB. Probably get 4 to 5 games to show real improvement.
4) If 1st rookie does not show improvement the loser of QB battle will get remainder of season or 4 to 5 games depending on where they are at during the season to show potential to be franchise QB.

Bottom line is when 2025 season ends Browns staff needs to know if they must use a 1st round pick on a QB or not. If Pickett starts the season and leads the Browns to the playoffs the Browns will move forward with him at QB, probably keeping the two rookies as backups into 2026, and use the two 1st to improve the team. If Flacco somehow leads the team to the playoffs the Browns will probably still draft a QB to hopefully be franchise QB of the future. If a rookie takes over then more than likely the Browns are out of the playoffs and whether or not they show enough potential to possibly be a franchise QB. If one of them does 2026 they will get the start, and the 1st will be used to improve the team. If neither does, then a 1st or both 1sts used to trade up to try to get a QB in next year's draft.

Not that I 100% agree with your theory, but this is the part of your scenario I have the biggest question about..............


We had a QB that could lead the team to the playoffs when healthy. This owner and FO didn't believe that was enough. They wanted a QB who was talented enough to lead this team to and give them a realistic path to win the SB. That after all is the ultimate goal. Now we can all debate whether we saw Mayfield in that light but the Browns certainly didn't. And I think we can all agree that watson didn't end up being that guy. But their goal remains the same. A franchise QB that has a legitimate shot of winning a SB.

So I'm not sure Pickett leading the Browns to the playoffs is enough to move forward with him as the future at the QB position. If the Browns make the playoffs based heavily on the run game and D I don't think that will be nearly enough for them nor should it.

They used great efforts to set themselves up in the perfect position to attempt drafting a franchise QB next year. Unless they actually Pickett look like a "franchise QB" I don't believe anything else will matter to them.

That is a good point. I guess it will just depend then how low the Jags pick is or how far can packaging picks get the Browns up to draft a QB they feel could be better than Pickett and the rookies at that point. I do think that had the QB you are referencing been more mature they would have given him 1 more season to develop. That is why the adult in the room comment was made. The Browns did not sign Pickett's 5th year option so to bring him back they will either commit to him with a 3-to-4-year contract or franchise tag him for 1 year. Besides that, he will walk like Sam Darnold did this off season.

I think we're pretty much on the same page here.