Cleveland Browns fifth-round rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has put in two very different preseason performances, including a great showing against the Carolina Panthers in which he looked like the player Browns fans have searched for years and a nightmare stinker against the Los Angeles Rams where he was sacked five times.
Despite that performance, the Browns will likely go against the grain and keep all four of their quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. This includes Week 1 starter Joe Flacco, fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, and recent trade acquisition Kenny Pickett all ahead of Sanders.
Of the four, Pickett seems like the quarterback who would be the easiest and most practical to move on from due to his status within the league. If someone else in the league needs a backup, there is a path to Sanders coming in ahead of Gabriel on the depth chart and suiting up on game day.
The Las Vegas Raiders may be in the market for a more experienced quarterback after backup Aidan O'Connell suffered a wrist injury that is likely to sideline him for the majority of the 2025 season. The raiders could trade for Pickett to fill that hole, leaving Sanders in a much better position when it comes to making the roster.
Browns could free up Shedeur Sanders playing time with Kenny Pickett-Raiders trade
Pickett has shown that he is not a starting quarterback in this league, but the idea of him being a capable backup could be very appealing to a Raiders team that currently has a sixth-round rookie in Cam Miller serving as the backup behind an aging veteran quarterback in Smith.
The Browns can insist until they are blue in the face that they like the idea of keeping four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, but they're only kidding themselves at this point. Gabriel and Sanders have the benefit of upside at their disposal, which makes Pickett someone who could be booted out of town.
If this trade happens, Sanders would likely be the third-string quarterback behind Flacco and Gabriel. However, considering how Sanders was often considered equal to or better than Gabriel during their back-and-forth in practice, he could overtake the third-rounder at some point during the season.
Sanders has quite a hill to climb before he can suit up in NFL games that mean something, but getting rid of Pickett might create a more clear path to playing time.