Quarterback Kenny Pickett has made his return to the AFC North this preseason. However, it’s possible he could be back in the NFC East before the start of the 2025 NFL regular season.
That’s what CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan theorized Tuesday. Sullivan named the Dallas Cowboys a potential trade landing spot for Pickett.
“Joe Flacco is officially QB1 in Cleveland. That now leaves Pickett along with rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in reserve roles behind him,” Sullivan wrote. “In theory, the Browns could elect to keep all four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, but that’s a lofty number. If they don’t want to do that and want to continue developing both Gabriel (a third-round pick) and Sanders (fifth), Pickett suddenly becomes the odd man out.
“The Cowboys could be in the QB2 market after Joe Milton III has endured a hot-and-cold preseason where he’s thrown interceptions in both exhibitions.”
Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters Wednesday that Pickett is making progress in his recovery from a hamstring injury. But with trade rumors continuing to swirl, Pickett won’t play in Week 3 of the preseason.
That means Pickett will have missed the entire exhibition season. He’s been mostly sidelined for almost a month.
The Steelers drafted Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He spent two years in Pittsburgh before getting traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kenny Pickett Ruled Out for Browns Preseason Finale
Pickett suffered his hamstring injury during training camp on July 26. Since then, he’s only practiced in limited fashion.
The Browns acquired Pickett from the Eagles in March 2025. Cleveland sent fellow quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a 2025 fifth-round choice to Philadelphia in the deal.
Pickett entered the offseason confident he could win the starting job in Cleveland. But since acquiring the 2022 first-rounder, the Browns signed Joe Flacco and drafted Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.
Stefanski named Flacco the team’s starting quarterback for Week 1 on Monday.
Pundits have argued that with Flacco as the team’s starter, keeping Pickett now will only block the rookie quarterbacks from receiving opportunities. That could make Pickett a trade candidate before the NFL’s roster cutdown day on August 26.
The Browns have yet to name who will serve as the team’s backup quarterback to begin the regular season. If Pickett doesn’t win that role, he is even more likely to be a trade candidate.
Could Pickett Have a Trade Market?
The Cowboys potentially make sense for Pickett because he could have a role in front of Joe Milton III. But Dallas isn’t the only team who might be interested in an experienced backup signal-caller.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay proposed the Browns send Pickett to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2026 sixth-rounder.
“The Browns may have only just acquired Kenny Pickett earlier in the offseason for a fifth-round pick and Dorian Thompson-Robinson, but they might already be looking to salvage some value from a potential failed trade,” wrote Kay.
“With Pickett dealing with injuries during training camp—and failing to distinguish himself in the Browns’ high-profile four-man QB positional battle when healthy—his time in Cleveland could be extremely limited.”
In Minnesota, Pickett could provide the Vikings an option with some experience behind first-year starter J.J. McCarthy.
Pickett is entering the final year of his rookie contract. He possesses about a $2.6 million guaranteed salary this season. But that isn’t predicted to be a factor in Cleveland’s final quarterback decisions.
If Pickett is traded before the regular season, it will be the third time he is dealt in the last 18 months.
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