Dillon Gabriel Big Winner as Browns Deal Kenny Pickett to Raiders

The Cleveland Browns proved NFL insiders across the country wrong, as the team chose to trade quarterback Kenny Pickett rather than carry him into the regular season alongside the team’s other three rostered and healthy signal-callers.

Cleveland sent Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders for a fifth-round draft pick. The Raiders lost backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell over the weekend to a broken wrist, which could sideline him for up to two months.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network broke the news of the deal on Monday evening, August 25.

“QB trade: The Raiders are trading for Browns QB Kenny Pickett, sources tell The Insiders, filling a key void before the season. It’s a 2026 5th rounder going back,” Rapoport posted to X. “With Aidan O’Connell’s injury, Pickett, with plenty of experience, becomes the backup to Geno Smith.”

“While the Browns were willing to keep four QBs, they always knew there was a real chance they would get the value to deal one — and it’s Kenny Pickett,” Rapoport continued in a repost.

Cleveland swapped former reserve quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for Pickett in the spring. They have now recouped that asset, while the Eagles have since parted ways with Thompson-Robinson.

Dillon Gabriel Should Move Into QB2 Slot Behind Joe Flacco After Kenny Pickett’s Departure to Raiders

The big winner in all of this, however, is Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

Gabriel was likely to slot in behind Pickett on the depth chart as QB3, with Joe Flacco earning the nod as the team’s Week 1 starter. Gabriel, who started Cleveland’s second and third preseason games and saw the most action in each of them, will almost certainly serve as Flacco’s backup to open the year.

That should put Shedeur Sanders firmly in line for the QB3 spot, which could see him suiting up or as a member of the practice squad early in the season.

The Browns are likely to lean on Flacco for at least the first six weeks of the campaign, which is a brutal stretch of schedule that includes the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 and then five consecutive games against teams that made the playoffs in 2024.

After that run of schedule is finished and/or Cleveland’s playoff chances become slim to none, the Browns are likely to move Gabriel into a starting role. At some point, the team may also get Sanders some run as the starter, though that may depend on how well Gabriel plays (if at all) during the middle and/or second half of the season.

Kenny Pickett’s Departure Could Mean Browns Bring Back Recently Released QB Tyler Huntley

The Browns may also look to add a fourth QB back to the roster, which could make sense if Flacco gets hurt or is horrendous and Cleveland needs to yank him in the first month or so of the campaign.

One candidate is Tyler Huntley, who the Browns just released on Sunday but who was also the only signal-caller in the organization to see snaps in all three of its preseason games.

Huntley was also on the team last preseason before Cleveland cut him in favor of Thompson-Robinson. Huntley ended up with the Miami Dolphins, starting five games in 2024.