The Philadelphia Eagles will begin their Super Bowl defense tonight, Aug. 7, with a preseason showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals. It's a chance to briefly watch two of the NFL's best quarterbacks trade blows. Mostly, however, it's our first chance to compare the depth of two supposed contenders.
The Cleveland Browns won't start their preseason schedule until Friday, when rookie Shedeur Sanders will garner his first NFL start with Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel injured. Still, it's never too early to start worrying about what could or has gone wrong. For Browns fans, it's fair to start getting antsy about the Kenny Pickett trade.
Cleveland's sprawling QB battle is still ongoing, but we all know Joe Flacco will line up under center once the regular season begins. That means the Browns effectively traded scraps for Pickett to operate as a backup quarterback. Now he stands in the way of two talented rookies, which won't help him win over Browns fans.
It's never wise to read too far into a single preseason game, but the Eagles have a chance to really make the Browns regret the Pickett trade on Thursday evening.
Eagles can put Browns' Kenny Pickett trade on thin ice in preseason
Wins and losses don't matter much in the preseason. Nor do stats, at least for the regular starters. The point of these next few weeks is coach experimentation and, more importantly, to serve as a tryout period for players on the roster bubble. A lot of depth charts around the league will shift and take shape in the coming weeks.
For the Eagles, there will be plenty of eyes on the backup QB situation. While Jalen Hurts is the runaway starter, Philly has an open competition for the backup gig, split between veterans Tanner McKee and Dorian Thompson-Robinson (who was part of the Kenny Pickett return package), as well as rookie Kyle McCord.
None are especially proven at the NFL level, although McKee has generated plenty of buzz in the preseason sphere before. DTR struggled to stand out in Cleveland, but he's a major athlete with dual-threat tendencies, something the Eagles know how to use. McCord dominanted as a senior at Syracuse. His prior stint at Ohio State was a bit more tumultuous, but for a seventh-round pick, there's a lot of talent and pedigree.
If any of Philly's backup QBs show out in the preseason, just know Browns fans will be miserable.
Did the Browns target the right backup QB from the Eagles roster?
Kenny Pickett is a known quantity, for better or worse. He has a couple seasons as the starter in Pittsburgh under his belt. Playing time was hard to come by in Philadelphia, but it allowed Pickett to experience a true contending environment with optimal personnel around him. He's also a Super Bowl champ, which doesn't hurt.
We know Pickett's limitations, though. His throws get wobbly when he tries to dial up a vertical route. He's not very creative beyond the confines of a scheme. Pickett is classic backup QB material in a way. He does the bare minimum and can get by with a strong team around him.
Oftentimes we in the sports world vastly overrate the value of the unknown. We love a little mystery. We haven't really seen Tanner McKee in a meaningful game, but the "what if" factor keeps us hooked. But seriously, what if McKee puts on a masterclass on Thursday night. What if DTR, Pickett's predecessor, takes a huge leap forward in the Eagles offense. What if Kyle McCord looks like the next Brock Purdy?
There are all extremes, of course, and not particularly likely, but the odds of an Eagles backup QB standing out are high enough to capture the attention of Browns fans. With Pickett struggling to stand out in camp and hurt for their first preseason game, all it will take is one strong performance from the backup QB Cleveland could have had — take your pick from Philly's stable — for fans to start second-guessing Pickett. That is, if the second-guessing hasn't already started.