Just moments ago, Adam Schefter broke the news that the Cleveland Browns were sending Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders in return for a 2026 fifth-round pick. Raiders backup Aidan O'Connell fractured his wrist in the preseason finale and needed a backup for Geno Smith, and Andrew Berry finally changed his mind on carrying four quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster.
The Browns are getting back a fifth-round pick, per source. They traded Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round pick for Pickett in March. https://t.co/hZvyLiosyK
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) August 26, 2025
This move makes sense for the Browns. Just a few months ago, the Browns gave up Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round pick to get Pickett, and now they are getting their fifth back from the Raiders to ship him out.
When Berry made the Pickett trade months ago, he didn't know that he would land Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the same draft. This move shows you that Kevin Stefanski is comfortable naming one of those two rookies as the backup.
Now the next big question is, who is the backup? Fans are dying for Sanders, but it's clear after watching two preseason games with him in action that Gabriel is the correct choice. Sanders could very well develop into a great NFL quarterback, maybe even better than Gabriel. But right now, Gabriel is more fit to run this offense if needed.