Browns trade Kenny Pickett to Raiders: What does this mean for Shedeur Sanders on Cleveland’s QB depth chart?

Cleveland Browns, Andrew Berry, said on several occasions that the team was ready to carry four -quarters On their initial list of 53 men. But Monday evening, the organization changed lessons once it received the commercial interest for Kenny Pickett from the Raiders of Las Vegas. The Browns announced that they had exchanged Pickett in the Raiders in exchange for a choice of fifth round in 2026.

The Raiders quarterrier, Aidan O’Connell, broke his wrist during the pre-season final against the Cardinals of Arizona last weekend and should miss 6 to 8 weeks, by ESPN. This moved the general manager John Spytek and the coach Pete Carroll to consider other options behind the Starter Geno Smith. Pickett, in a logjam with Joe Flacco and the Sheder Sanders and Dillon Gabriel recruits in Cleveland, has become an attractive option for Las Vegas.

Pickett did not play in one of the three Cleveland pre-season competitions due to an injury to the hamstrings. This marks the second time this offseason that Pickett, the overall choice n ° 20 of the NFL 2022 draft, has been exchanged. Cleveland acquired Pickett des Eagles from Philadelphia in exchange for a choice of fifth round and the quarter Dorian Thompson-Robinson in March.

Shemer Sanders is exactly what the Browns thought he was … and it’s not a bad thing

Ryan Wilson

Pickett, who started the experience of his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, was the main backup of Jalen Hurts while the Eagles won the Super Bowl last season. Now it seems to be online for a similar role with raiders.

With this movement, the Browns should have Gabriel and Sanders as backups towards 40 -year -old Flacco when the regular season begins against the Bengals of Cincinnati on September 7.

The Browns selected Gabriel in the third round of the NFL 2025 draft before adding Sanders to the fifth. The two experienced ups and downs throughout the pre-season, but Pickett’s departure seems to point out that they will both remain with the team’s cup day after the list on Tuesday. How is the hierarchical order behind Flacco, but take a look at what we have learned in recent weeks.

What is the next step for SheDer Sanders?

Despite the Browns previously having five quarters on the list, Sanders took the start in the first Cleveland pre-season match against the Carolina Panthers. The veteran Flacco was not going to adapt in the first Browns exhibition match, then Gabriel and Pickett were excluded with injuries to hamstiffs, leaving Sanders and Tyler Huntley as the only two quarters.

After a slow start, Sanders quickly rebounded to finish 14 of the 23 passes for 138 yards and two affected with zero interceptions in a 30-10 victory. He looked composed in the pocket and made several impressive throws. The former Colorado star quickly became the history of the world of sport, while everyone was starting to wonder if he was riding the depth board – or even had the chance to dislodge the alleged favorite, Flacco.

Sanders missed the second pre-season match of the Browns in Philadelphia due to an oblique injury, but adapted to the final against the Rams of Los Angeles. This outing was a different story from his. Sanders only completed 3 of the 6 passes for 14 yards and took five bags. Instead of taking the ball out on a target or simply throwing it, Sanders would derive back and found himself in difficulty instead of intensifying in the pocket.

While Sanders looked comfortable against Carolina, he looked completely opposite against Los Angeles. When he appeared, he would have a chance to lead a winning disc with two minutes in the match, Sanders was actually fired By coach Kevin Stefanski for Huntley.

“Obviously, we did not play very well as an offensive in the second period,” said Stefanski when he was questioned on the Sanders bench. “It’s never on one person, so we can be better in a lot of areas and we just felt like we wanted to give [Huntley] A last training. “”

Has Dillon Gabriel locked the QB2 role?

After missing the first pre-season match of the Browns, Gabriel started week 2 of the exhibition season. In a 22-13 victory against the Eagles, the former quarter-Arrière de l’Oregon deposit finished 13 assists for 143 yards and an interception which was returned for a touch. The Pick-Six can be the head of the first action of the Gabriel NFL for some people, but it was generally a solid outing. He ran the offensive and was above all decisive with football. There was no “wow” games, but it was a decent start.

The pre-season final was different for Gabriel, because he gave fans an overview of the reason why he was a finalist of the Heisman trophy last season. Gabriel finished 12 of the 19 passes for a top of 129 yards and a touchdown. This included a touch of 11 games and 86 yards with two minutes to play in the first half.

Gabriel was not blessed with some of the physical gifts that the other quarter-rear has, but if it is someone who can make good decisions and make what the defense gives him, he could have a future in this league.

Mike Garafolo from NFL Media reported that Flacco has never really been pushed by the other quarters of Cleveland in recent months. This makes you ask you how much a quarter-arre battle was really.

It is easy to suppose that Sanders ended the pre-season on a low note while Gabriel did the opposite, but if you are wondering who would first come out of the bench to replace Flacco, it is probably a quarter-rear selected in the third round as opposed to the fifth round.