Cleveland Browns’ rookie QB Shedeur Sanders has quietly moved up the depth chart on Monday without even taking the field. Multiple reports confirmed that the Browns traded Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders. The move comes just two days after Raiders backup Aidan O’Connell suffered a fractured wrist and one day after Cleveland released quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley. With Pickett out of the picture, the Browns’ QB room is now trimmed to just three players.
Kenny Pickett To the Raiders
The Browns traded former first-round pick Pickett to the Raiders in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick. The move clears the way for rookie Sanders to likely move up the depth chart, solidifying his spot on Cleveland’s 53-man roster ahead of his debut season.
The Raiders were looking for a backup QB after Aidan O’Connell suffered a wrist fracture during their final preseason game.
BREAKING: The #Browns are trading Kenny Pickett to the #Raiders, per sources. pic.twitter.com/iOhiJFxoS4
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 26, 2025
Pickett also made a bit of NFL history with the trade, becoming just the second quarterback in the past 30 years to be traded at least three times within his first four seasons.
This marked the second QB-related roster move the Browns have made in two days, following the release of Tyler Huntley on Sunday.
Browns QB Depth Chart
- Joe Flacco
- Dillon Gabriel
- Shedeur Sanders
- Deshaun Watson (Injured)
The 18-year-old veteran Joe Flacco will remain a starter for the Cleveland Browns, which head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed ahead of the team’s preseason finale against the Rams. Flacco returns to Cleveland for a second stint, having stepped in late during the 2023 season and led the team to a playoff berth.
Meanwhile, rookies Sanders and Gabriel spent training camp vying for the backup role. Gabriel, a third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and Sanders, selected two rounds later, each showed promise, but Gabriel proved the more consistent option in his two preseason appearances.
Veteran Deshaun Watson remains sidelined after a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 7 last year. In January, the Browns announced that Watson underwent a second surgery to repair the tendon after it re-ruptured during his recovery.
