The Dallas Cowboys were hopeful that Joe Milton, acquired from the Patriots in May for a fifth-round pick, would cement himself as the backup quarterback, but he hasn't showed the requisite progress in the preseason to win the job.
Milton failed to find a rhythm in both of his starts, leaving many to question how the offense would look in the regular season if Dak Prescott were to miss time, and if the Cowboys should go out and acquire a more proven commodity during the upcoming roster cutdown.
Third-stringers Jameis Winston (Giants) and Case Keenum (Bears) are potential options, and you can now throw Kenny Pickett's name into the ring after the Browns announced that 40-year-old Joe Flacco - yes, he's still in the league - will be their starter.
A Kenny Pickett trade would help the Cowboys and it wouldn't cost anything
The Browns seemingly want Pickett to be their backup, but all signs point to Cleveland keeping four quarterbacks: Flacco, Pickett and rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
That does not say much about their conviction in Pickett, who was expected to compete with Flacco for the starting role. A first-round pick in 2022, Pickett clearly isn't the Browns' long-term answer. If Flacco flounders or gets injured, what sense would it make to hand Pickett the keys to the offense over two rookie draftees? They'd be wasting an invaluable evaluation opportunity.
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Pickett would be an upgrade over Milton, and his athleticism makes him harder to game plan against than Grier, who is more of a pocket passer now at age-30.
While Pickett hasn't lived up to his first-round billing, he was a very capable backup behind Jalen Hurts last season. Cowboys fans might remember Pickett starting against Dallas in Week 17. It was a blowout, but Pickett played well, posting two touchdowns (one rushing), a 119.6 QB rating and zero turnovers.
Very quietly, Pickett is 15-10 in his career as a starter, including a 14-10 run in two years with the Steelers. While QB wins ring hollow for certain players, Pickett has showed an ability to win games in the league. Yes, he needs a strong supporting cast and the jury is still out on whether Dallas has that, but this is one of the stronger rosters in the NFC fully healthy
Nobody's saying the Cowboys' backup job should be Pickett or bust. However, he might be the odd man out in Cleveland after Flacco was named the starter. Consider him another name to watch if Milton continues to stink it up in Friday's preseason finale.