Sources: Eagles trade Pickett to Browns for pick, Thompson-Robinson
The Browns are trading for Eagles quarterback Kenny Pickett, sending Philadelphia a 2025 fifth-round pick and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.
The Browns entered free agency likely to add at least one veteran passer with Deshaun Watson expected to sit out a significant portion of the 2025 season after tearing his right Achilles tendon for the second time. But with limited salary cap space — the Browns entered Monday with about $13 million, according to Roster Management System — Cleveland was likely to pursue options available for less expensive contracts, despite general manager Andrew Berry telling reporters the team’s cash and cap situation would not prohibit it from making moves if the right opportunity presented itself.
With Thompson-Robinson, a 2023 fifth-round pick and the only other quarterback under contract for the 2025 season, sent to Philadelphia in the deal, another addition is likely.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler previously reported that Daniel Jones, Carson Wentz and Kirk Cousins, if the latter is released, are expected to be on the Browns’ radar.
Pickett, who turns 27 in June, is a former first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers who was selected No. 20 in the 2022 NFL draft. In two years with the Steelers, Pickett went 14-10 as a starter and completed 62.6% of his attempts for 4,474 yards. He also threw 13 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. Last March, the Steelers traded Pickett and a 2024 fourth-round pick to the Eagles for a 2024 third-round pick and two 2025 seventh-round picks.
In his lone season with the Super Bowl-winning Eagles, Pickett served as Jalen Hurts’ backup and made one start. He completed 25 of 42 passes for 291 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Pickett is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Thompson-Robinson, 25, started five games in two seasons with the Browns. He went 1-4 as a starter, completing 121 of 230 passes (52.6%) for 880 yards, 1 touchdown and 10 interceptions. He also ran for 187 yards on 35 carries.
In another move, the Browns have notified defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson that he will be released at the start of the new league year Wednesday, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Tomlinson will be designated as a post-June 1 cut but can officially sign with a new team Wednesday.
Tomlinson, 31, was set to enter the third year of a four-year, $57 million deal he signed in the 2023 offseason but had no guaranteed salary remaining. In 2024, Tomlinson recorded three sacks and 26 combined tackles.
The Dallas Cowboys agreed on a one-year, $3 million deal with free agent running back Javonte Williams, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.
Rico Dowdle, who led the Cowboys with 1,079 rushing yards last season, is a free agent.
Williams, a second-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos in 2021, saw his role slightly diminish over the past two seasons. He still led the team in carries (139) and rushing yards (513) in 2024, but he was also part of a Broncos running game that coach Sean Payton had called frustrating overall with the team unable to find the “right” rotation among its backs.
Williams, 24, had only 12 carries in Denver’s last three games, including its playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills. That stretch included a zero-carry game in a Week 17 loss at the Cincinnati Bengals.
Williams was a revelation as a tackle-breaking rookie in 2021, rushing for 903 yards. But in 2022, he suffered a devastating knee injury in a Week 4 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders — Williams tore multiple ligaments and suffered other damage to the knee — and though he tirelessly worked to get back on the field, his production has not returned to his rookie level.
He has improved each year as a receiver and was one of rookie quarterback Bo Nix’s most reliable targets in 2024, when his 52 receptions ranked second on the team. But as a runner, Williams averaged fewer than 4 yards per carry in each of the past two seasons (3.6 in 2023, 3.7 last season), and some in the league said they had not seen the same explosiveness before or after contact since his injury.
According to NextGen stats, Williams’ maximum speed with the ball as he crossed the line of scrimmage last season (15.34 mph) was the slowest among all backs with at least 113 carries.
Overall, Williams has 606 carries for 2,394 yards and 11 TDs in his four NFL seasons. He also has 158 catches for 966 yards and 5 scores.
ESPN’s Jeff Legwold contributed to this report.
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Steelers Welcome Kenny Pickett Back to AFC North
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers will see plenty of former first-round pick Kenny Pickett this upcoming season. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Philadelphia Eagles are trading the former Pittsburgh passer to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick.
The Eagles will also receive quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Pickett was traded to the Eagles last offseason in exchange for fourth-round selection. He played one seasons in Philadelphia, winning a Super Bowl with the team he grew up rooting for. Now, he heads back to the AFC and will join the Browns as part of their plan to replace Deshaun Watson in 2025.
Pickett could get an opportunity to start for Cleveland this season as Watson will miss the entire year due to re-injuring his Achilles tendon. The Browns hold the second pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and could use it to select a quarterback as well.
Pickett was the Steelers’ 2022 first-round pick, being selected 20th overall. He started 24 games, going 14-10 and leading the Steelers to the playoffs. He threw for 4,474 yards and 13 touchdowns, while also throwing 13 interceptions.
Now, the 26-year-old returns to the division and could get revenge on Pittsburgh this upcoming season. There’s a lot of decisions to be made in Cleveland, but for now, it’s a move that certainly draws the attention of many Steelers fans – and many within the orginization.
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Noah is the Publisher for All Steelers, Inside the Panthers (InsideThePanthers.com) and Inside the Penguins (InsidethePenguins.com), and is the host of All Steelers Talk (YouTube.com/AllSteelersTalk). A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, he’s pretty much full-yinzer.
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