Kenny Pickett Headed To Las Vegas Raiders As Geno Smith's New Backup

An injury took away Kenny Pickett's chance to compete for a starting job with the Cleveland Browns but an injury has now prompted him being traded to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Pickett, who was traded to the Browns in March after being traded from the Steelers in 2024, is on the move again – this time to the Raiders as their new backup to Geno Smith.

Raiders Needed A Backup QB

The Raiders are giving up a fifth-round pick for Pickett after presumptive backup Aidan O'Connell suffered a fractured wrist over the weekend and is expected to miss up to two months.

So, PIckett, who arrived in Cleveland in hopes of competing for the starting quarterback job, is on the move again but knows the starting job in Las Vegas belongs to Smith.

Pickett was never able to mount an attempt on the Browns starting job because he injured his hamstring and didn't play at all in the preseason.

And what does this all mean in Cleveland?

Well, the Browns are not keeping four quarterbacks on the active roster after all. At least that's how it looks now.

Cleveland Browns  Executive VP of Football Operations and GM Andrew Berry talks to the media at the 2024 NFL Combine.

(Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY Sports)

Browns Don't Keep Four QBs

There had been much speculation about how many quarterbacks the Browns would carry on their roster for the regular season. General manager Andrew Berry said on the Browns' television broadcast during Saturday's preseason game the team liked all four players and the expanded practice squad numbers allowed for keeping four quarterbacks on the roster.

But that was mere hours before O'Connell fractured his right wrist.

So, on Sunday, the Raiders began shopping for a backup and now Pickett traded for a third time since being drafted in the first round of the 2022 draft.

And all this means stuff in Cleveland:

CLEVELAND, OHIO - DECEMBER 28: Joe Flacco #15 celebrates after defeating the New York Jets at Cleveland Browns Stadium on December 28, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

Browns Depth Chart Has Changed

It presumably means everyone behind starter Joe Flacco moves up on the depth chart.

So, rookie third-round pick Dillon Gabriel becomes the backup. And rookie fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders becomes the third-stringer.

Controversy alert: The circus that follows Sanders around will surely lobby for their man to be promoted to second-string. The circus that follows Sanders around will also surely lobby for him to be cut.

That's because the circus that follows the Deion Sanders sons around is full of lunatics on multiple sides of the same questions.

As for the Browns, who have managed their own unique quarterback circus for years, all this is probably a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing (that's not original, by the way).

Deshaun Watson Still Overshadows Browns

Deshaun Watson will eventually come back at some point from his Achilles tendon rupture, which he suffered while he was recovering from an Achilles tendon rupture. 

The question is whether Watson will ever play for the Browns again before they move from him before next season. 

And the other questions are whether Gabriel or Sanders will get their chance to play this year when – not if – Flacco encounters a rough stretch at age 40?

The Browns are a ton of fun to watch.

From afar.