Thumbs up or down: Eagles writers weigh in on Kenny Pickett-Dorian Thompson-Robinson trade

The Eagles continued the practice of acquiring backup quarterbacks and flipping them for compensation when they traded Kenny Pickett to the Browns for a 2025 fifth-round draft pick and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson on Monday. They, of course, forfeited a fair amount when they dealt for Pickett last offseason — sending a 2024 third-rounder and a pair of 2025 seventh-rounders to the Steelers in exchange for the former 2022 first-round pick and a 2024 fourth-rounder. But they also got in return — most important — an NFC East-clinching victory when Pickett started for the injured Jalen Hurts in late December. He struggled when called upon the week before against the Commanders after Hurts suffered a concussion. But Pickett was sharper with a week of preparation — despite playing through broken ribs — and guided the Eagles past the Cowboys. Could third-stringer Tanner McKee have done as much considering the overall strength of the team? It’s possible. But Pickett deserves credit for the minor role he played in a Super Bowl-winning season.

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That he would be traded a month later came as no surprise. McKee is ready to assume the No. 2 spot and might have earned it all the way back in training camp if not for Pickett’s experience. But he showed his readiness late in the win over the Cowboys and the following week, when he got the nod against the New York Giants in an otherwise meaningless season finale. The Eagles made this move, first and foremost, because they think McKee can step in for Hurts. The odds are it happens at some point next season. Hurts missed at least one game to injury in three of his four seasons as the starter. But a move up the depth chart also increases McKee’s value with two years left on his contract. The Eagles haven’t quite become the “quarterback factory” that general manager Howie Roseman once famously said he’d hope the team would become. But they have had more success historically in flipping backups than most teams. And that might end being the case with Thompson-Robinson, a quarterback they had shown pre-draft interest in two years ago. He went 1-4 in five starts in two seasons in Cleveland, but maybe the Eagles can coach him up so that he’s at least worth keeping on the 53-man roster.

The Eagles traded a player who doesn’t play for a fifth-round draft pick and a replacement for said player on the depth chart. It’s hard to not like the move.

Recent Eagles drafted in the fifth round or later: Jeremiah Trotter Jr.; McKee (who now likely assumes QB2 responsibilities); Moro Oromo; Grant Calcaterra; Kenneth Gainwell … you get the point.

There was no long-term future for Pickett in Philadelphia, and anytime you can pocket an asset like a fifth-rounder for a player like that, you do it.

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Pickett was decent when the Eagles needed him, but was he markedly better than McKee? Did the Eagles really need two backups of the same or similar caliber? We know they consider themselves a quarterback factory, but it’s a bit redundant for little benefit.

Plus, in Thompson-Robinson, the Eagles did the work of getting Pickett’s replacement in the trade. Will another quarterback be on the training camp roster? Surely. But Hurts, McKee, and Thompson-Robinson is a solid unit.

Very little, if anything, has changed about the quality of the roster, and the Eagles got a fifth-round pick and some cap savings. There’s nothing to dislike about it.

It’s Tanner Time. By trading Pickett away to the Browns, the Eagles are opening up the opportunity for McKee to step into the second-string quarterback role behind Hurts.

The move makes plenty of sense. Pickett played well enough in limited action to show that he can still perform at a high level despite the unceremonious ending to his Steelers career. The Browns could use another starting option with Deshaun Watson out indefinitely with a torn Achilles.

The Eagles could use the cap space. Roseman acquired Pickett and a 2024 fourth-round pick in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick and a pair of 2025 seventh-round picks. Pickett had two years left on his deal and was set to count for $2.6 million against the salary cap in 2025. By trading Pickett, the Eagles remove his cap hit from the books and turn to a cheaper option in McKee, who is still on his rookie contract for the next two seasons.

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Plus, in the trade with the Browns, the Eagles acquired a 2025 fifth-round pick and the 25-year-old Thompson-Robinson, who figures to develop as the third-string quarterback behind Hurts and McKee. The Eagles are well-acquainted with Thompson-Robinson, as they brought him in for a top 30 visit during his draft year in 2023. The athleticism and mobility he displayed while playing for five seasons at UCLA under Chip Kelly are worth developing.

Meanwhile, McKee showed in brief performances that he is deserving of the chance to take on the second-string quarterback role. He led the Eagles to a win in the regular-season finale against the Giants, going 27-of-41 for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Now, he figures to have the opportunity to back up in meaningful games against better competition than the Giants.

This seems like a win for both sides, but especially for the Eagles, as they save some cap room, pick up a Day 3 selection, and add a developmental player.

The Pickett trade is the type of mutually beneficial move that is hard to argue against.

Pickett will get more of an opportunity to start in Cleveland, and the Eagles get to turn the backup quarterback job over to a cheaper, younger, and arguably just as capable signal-caller in McKee. Off-loading Pickett’s salary, all while recouping some of the draft capital they sent to the Steelers for him in the first place, is a marginal win but a win nonetheless for a team like the Eagles trying to manage a tight cap situation on a loaded roster.

Even those who have doubts about McKee’s readiness to be the true No. 2 behind Hurts likely wouldn’t be able to make a much stronger case for Pickett based on last season’s performances. Pickett has more experience as a starter, but McKee outplayed him during training camp and flashed the same potential in his limited regular-season action in the final two games as well.

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Perhaps the Eagles could have held out for more for Pickett, but it’s hard to take exception with the return. Most conventional draft value charts deduce the value lost for a year of Pickett’s service to a late seventh-round pick, and that’s before you factor in the addition of Thompson-Robinson.

In short, the Eagles off-loaded a player who was surplus to requirements and recouped most of the draft capital they spent on him in the first place. Perhaps a season with the Browns leads to Pickett’s value skyrocketing, but that was always going to be an unlikely possibility if he stayed anyway.