Today wild enough for you?
A crazy, newsy day turned into a newsy evening as the Las Vegas Raiders sent a fifth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for Kenny Pickett, who will be the new backup quarterback to Geno Smith.
Here are some thoughts on the move:
They thought about it:
Sunday, Raiders’ coach Pete Carroll said the team would look at every avenue for a backup quarterback with experience and they were connected to many different players. So, the Raiders had a plan. The Browns had a surplus of quarterbacks
and the Raiders targeted Pickett to back up Geno Smith.
Pickett’s experience:
It’s would be a stretch to say Pickett is a quality player and it may worrisome if he has to play for an extended period of time. But he’s a solid backup. He is 15-10 as a starter. The former first round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers has been traded three times now. In terms of available backups at this point, the Raiders could do worse than adding Pickett.
O’Connell’s future:
Aidan O’Connell is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a fractured right wrist. So, there may be a decision to make between Pickett and O’Connell in October. There is a chance O’Connell could be kept depending on what the Riders do with rookie Cam Miller. But the reality is O’Connell had a bad preseason and his Raiders’ career may be over soon.
The cost:
Some may think a fifth-round pick for Pickett is high and it may be. But quarterbacks are important and the Raiders may get some comp picks, so that will lessen the blow.
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