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Saints May Target Surprise 'Big Name Cut Candidate' To Boost QB Room
Sep 8, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the New Orleans Saints football helmet before the game against the Carolina Panthers during the pregame at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

As the days go by, it seems more and more likely that the Cleveland Browns will trade or cut Super Bowl winning quarterback Kenny Pickett by the end of the preseason.

Pickett has faced injuries all offseason, which already hinders his ability to earn playing time. But Joe Flacco remains the clear top option to start this season for the Browns, so he should be safe. Rookie Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders have looked impressive at times, too. It seems unlikely that either wouldn't make the cut coming out of the preseason.

Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox recently suggested Pickett would be the odd man out and could be cut before the rosters shrink down to 53 players.

"Cutting Kenny Pickett would save $2.6 million in cap space, which is a significant amount for a spare quarterback. And that's what Pickett may be by the time Cleveland's four-way QB competition has ended," Knox wrote. "Joe Flacco remains the most likely candidate to start in Week 1, and the Browns probably aren't moving off of rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.

"Cleveland has already turned down trade offers for Gabriel this offseason, according to The MMQB's Albert Breer. Sanders fared well enough in his preseason debut to justify a longer look. Pickett, who has missed time with a hamstring injury, could easily be the odd man out. However, he'll undoubtedly interest QB-needy teams if he reaches the market."

If Pickett lands on the open market, the New Orleans Saints need to scoop him up.

Kenny Pickett would be the perfect addition for the Saints

The Saints have quite a heated quarterback battle of their own ongoing right now. Jake Haener has seemingly bee left in third place of the three options, as he hasn't been impressive at all. Still, Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough have both flashed NFL starting abilities.

But Pickett has started games in the NFL and won them at a decent clip. While he wasn't the most impressive option when he was a starter, he still helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win games. At the very least, he'd be good competition for Shough and Rattler, with the potential to steal the starting job in New Orleans if he lands there.

At the end of the day, he's a significant upgrade over Haener at the very least. With that in mind, this addition would make the team better, even if the improvement is very miniscule. It's a low risk, semi-high reward option that the Saints could pursue.

More NFL: Saints May Have Long-Term Franchise QB Already On Roster


This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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