Eagles-Browns offseason QB swap projects to be a wash for all parties involved

The Eagles and Browns made an underwhelming quarterback trade in the offseason, and the early results are equally uninspiring.
Cleveland Browns Mandatory Minicamp
Cleveland Browns Mandatory Minicamp | Jason Miller/GettyImages

"Blockbuster" best describes an offseason that saw Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey, Geno Smith, and Minkah Fitzpatrick swap teams.

The Kenny Pickett-Dorian Thompson-Robinson trade? Yeah, that one doesn't quite live up to the others. It felt like a highly pointless and underwhelming deal for the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles at the time. Four months later, with both teams kicking off training camp, nothing has changed.

Pickett and Thompson-Robinson hoped a fresh start on new teams could lead to more opportunities, but both may struggle to make their respective 53-man rosters.

Mike Clay of ESPN put together a list of projected roster cuts for all 32 teams. Unsurprisingly, both quarterbacks make the list.

Kenny Pickett and Dorian Thompson-Robinson trade may soon become the most pointless QB swap in NFL history

The Browns doomed Pickett from the moment he walked in the door. Within a month, they had signed Joe Flacco (in another move they may already regret) and later drafted two quarterbacks: Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders.

Flacco is projected to clinch the starting job for Week 1. How long he holds that position is another question altogether, but the former Super Bowl champion will likely lead the Browns into the new season.

That leaves Pickett on the outside looking in. The Browns won't part ways with their draft picks, and keeping four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster makes little sense. Pickett, then, is likely the odd one out.

And it doesn't look much better for Thompson-Robinson, who hoped a switch to the Super Bowl champion Eagles would give him a chance to win the backup job behind Jalen Hurts.

Instead, the No. 2 spot belongs to former sixth-round pick Tanner McKee. It leaves Thompson-Robinson competing with rookie Kyle McCord for the No. 3 job, a battle many project won't go his way.

It's still early in training camp, and both quarterbacks have enough time to prove themselves. They must make the most of every preseason snap because those exhibition games may serve as an audition for the other 31 teams.

The Pickett-DTR trade never made much sense for either team, and we're seeing that play out in real time.

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