NFL insider Mike Florio has predicted that the Cleveland Browns will look to trade away quarterback Kenny Pickett, just weeks after trading for him. Florio suggested that the team’s decision to draft two quarterbacks, with two healthy veterans already on the roster, will mean someone has to go.
Pickett and Joe Flacco will be joined in Cleveland by Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, and Florio expects Pickett to be the odd man out.
Cleveland Browns Take 2 Quarterbacks in 2025 NFL Draft, Igniting Competition
Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, the Browns had three veteran quarterbacks on the roster, including Pickett, Flacco, and the injured Deshaun Watson. Both Pickett and Flacco were new additions to the Browns, with the latter signed in free agency after the team acquired Pickett in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.
It was expected that Cleveland would add a quarterback in the draft, with Sanders heavily linked with the team’s first-round pick. That wasn’t to be, though, and the NFL world was stunned as the Colorado prospect fell to the fifth round. Cleveland finally took Sanders at No. 144 overall, despite having already drafted Gabriel in the third round.
That decision has left the team with four healthy quarterbacks on the roster, with one of those four likely to be moved on by September. In Florio’s eyes, that player is most likely to be Pickett, with the two rookies backing up Flacco in 2025.
Mike Florio Predicts Kenny Pickett Will Be Traded Before 2025 Season
Speaking on “Pro Football Talk,” Florio raised the issue that the Browns face with the number of quarterbacks on their roster. In his opinion, Cleveland will need to move on from one of their quarterbacks before the new season, with Pickett the most likely to go.
“I would assume that Pickett is gonna be out,” he said. “He gets re-traded, something, anything to clear him off the roster before Week 1. And then, they will have three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. They have to have three, ’cause if they were to release Gabriel or Sanders, any team could claim that guy on waivers.
“So they’ll keep Pickett [for] as long as they can. Maybe they’ll trade him, sooner than later, and find a camp arm.”
There are multiple possibilities in terms of what could happen with Cleveland’s quarterbacks between now and September. Worries about Sanders’ media attention as a backup are lessened by his fifth-round draft capital, which would allow the team to cut him if he proved an unwelcome distraction.
Sanders’ ability on the field, though, could see him surpass Gabriel in camp, leaving the team with a decision to make regarding their third-round pick. Pickett is the most likely to be moved, but will likely be kept around until the team can get a read on its new rookies.
Whatever happens, though, it’s unlikely that Cleveland will carry four quarterbacks into the season, so the situation is one to watch this summer.