Browns land potential Deshaun Watson replacement in proposed Eagles trade

The move gives Cleveland two uninspiring quarterback options at the top of its depth chart and lands Pickett back in the NFC North, where he began his career with the Steelers.

The No. 20 pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, Pickett started at quarterback for two seasons in Pittsburgh before being traded to Philadelphia last offseason.

Based on how poorly Watson played in 2024, Pickett, 26, could be the Browns' starting quarterback this season.

Unless the young quarterback turns his career around like Sam Darnold with the Vikings last season or Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay in 2023, the proposed trade won't move the needle for the Browns.

In 25 career starts, Pickett has completed 62.4% of his pass attempts for 4,765 yards (6.3 yards per attempt), 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

Per Stathead, among quarterbacks with at least 700 pass attempts since the start of the 2022 season, Pickett's 79.3 passer rating is ahead of only Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (77.3). His 2% touchdown rate is tied with former six-year veteran quarterback Gary Huff (1973-78) for the lowest among quarterbacks with at least 700 pass attempts in NFL history.

Cleveland might have been better off pursuing Philadelphia's other backup, Tanner McKee, who has shown flashes in limited opportunities. But if the Browns desired landing someone with starting experience, they didn't have many better realistic options than Pickett.

Cleveland couldn't afford this year's top free-agent quarterbacks. Earlier Monday, Darnold agreed to a three-year, $100.5M contract with the Seahawks. Justin Fields agreed to a two-year, $40M deal with the Jets.

Even backups got paid an exorbitant amount, with the Rams agreeing to terms on a one-year deal boasting a max value of $13.505M with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

According to Over The Cap, the Browns are No. 25 in available cap space ($12.6M), giving them little financial room to compete for quarterbacks.

Considering their quarterback situation, the Browns might be just as uncompetitive on the field this fall.

They went 3-14 in 2024, their worst record since going 0-16 in 2017. While they managed to keep All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett after he requested a trade in February by agreeing to a lucrative four-year extension, the Browns have enough offensive concerns to keep them from being taken seriously in 2025.

Acquiring Pickett doesn't change that. Instead, it only highlights Cleveland's sorry state of affairs.