PALM BEACH, Fla. — Jalen Hurts was the man to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl last season. However, the quarterback who helped them win the game they needed to clinch the NFC East is the same one who could be the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback this season.
The 41-7 Week 17 win over the Dallas Cowboys was Kenny Pickett's only start in his only season with the Eagles. However, that performance in place of Hurts, who had left the previous week's loss to the Washington Commanders with a concussion, only solidified the feelings Philadelphia's coaches had developed of the quarterback during his abbreviated time with them.
"Kenny did a great job of being able to step in and play really good football when his time was called," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings. "Helped us win a game. Helped us be in a position to win a game against Washington. Helped us win a game against the Cowboys. We felt very comfortable with him as our backup, that if he had to go into the game, which he did, that he'd be able to succeed and put our team with an opportunity to win, which he did."
Pickett has gone from first-round draft pick to twice-traded in less than 35 months. The Eagles acquired him from the Pittsburgh Steelers in March of last year, then they traded him to the Browns last month in exchange for quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round pick.
The trade to Philadelphia was done with the understanding Hurts was the established starter. The trade to the Browns was done with the possibility of Pickett at least having a chance to ...
