The Cleveland Browns quarterback room is crowded these days after the team signed Tyler Huntley as their fifth quarterback on the 90-man roster.
Outside of Joe Flacco being named the team’s starter on the team’s first “unofficial” depth chart, many questions remain behind the 40-year-old veteran.
Considering the Browns invested draft picks in Dillon Gabriel (3rd, 94th overall) and Shedeur Sanders (5th, 144th overall), Cleveland may find it early to part ways with either rookie.
Instead, Kenny Pickett, named the QB2, could be at risk while he recovers from a hamstring injury. Pickett hasn’t practiced fully since July 26 and is not expected to play in Friday’s preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. Gabriel is also expected to be out.
The game could prove as a platform for Huntley to usurp Pickett on the depth chart and put Pickett’s future in doubt. If the Browns are convinced of the other quarterbacks, Pickett could become a trade chip.
One team has already emerged in the Minnesota Vikings, which benched Sam Howell from second-team reps after he continued to struggle in camp.
Browns QB Kenny Pickett Subject of Vikings Trade Proposal
With Howell’s struggles at come becoming a forefront issue in Minnesota, MinnesotaSportsFan.com’s Andrew Buller-Russ named Pickett among five quarterbacks the Vikings should dump Howell for, proposing a Day 3 pick to peel Pickett away from Cleveland.
From MinnesotaSportsFan.com:
If the Vikings are hung up on the idea of having a capable backup who’s still fairly young with untapped potential, much like they thought they were getting in Howell, then why not Kenny Pickett? The former first-round pick only got 24 starts to prove what he could do before being traded to the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles last offseason.
Still just 27, Pickett brings a nice mix of experience and possible untapped potential. Hmm, that sounds a bit like Sam Darnold, before the Vikings fixed him and turned him into a $100 million Pro Bowl QB.
As one of five quarterbacks competing for the Cleveland Browns’ starting job, Pickett could very well find himself on the outside looking in. A fair offer of something like a late Day 3 pick (5th-7th round) should be enough to pry him out of Cleveland.
