Ronnie Hickman gets first NFL pick-six on TNF, congratulations from Garrett Wilson

It’s been an interesting rookie season in the NFL for Ronnie Hickman. The former Ohio State standout went undrafted during this year’s NFL Draft, but latched on with the Cleveland Browns, where he’s become an important role player.

Thursday night, he made another big play — and he did it on the primetime stage. It also got him a nice congratulations from former teammate Garrett Wilson.

Hickman picked off New York Jets quarterback Trevor Siemian and ran it back for a pick-six. That put the Browns ahead 20-7 as the first quarter of TNF started to wrap up, and after the play, Wilson gave Hickman a congratulatory pat.

Ronnie Hickman picks off a Trevor Siemian pass and returns it 30 yards for the score.

He even gets a low-key congratulations from his old Ohio State teammate (and current Jets opponent) Garrett Wilson. pic.twitter.com/4Csuy1OE46

— The Comeback (@thecomeback) December 29, 2023

Thursday’s game marked Ronnie Hickman’s ninth appearance for the Browns, and he made three starts entering the matchup with the Jets. He has 18 total tackles and two passes defended to his name, and not only was the pick-six his first touchdown, but it was also his first career interception.

Hickman put together a standout career at Ohio State from 2020-22, totaling 157 tackles and three interceptions to help anchor the Buckeyes’ defense. He didn’t hear his name called in the draft, though. But the Browns scooped him up right away as a UDFA, and he’s made the most of his opportunity.

The Browns have put together an impressive stretch lately since Joe Flacco took the reins at quarterback. They entered Thursday’s game 3-1 with the former Baltimore Raven under center, and quickly took control against the struggling Jets. Cleveland struck first when Flacco found Jerome Ford for a 7-yard touchdown and found pay dirt again when Kareem Hunt ran in a score.

After Hickman’s pick-six, the Browns added to their lead again when Flacco hit Elijah Moore for a touchdown to make it a 27-7 lead in the second quarter. It was all Cleveland, and you could say it was an elite start for Flacco.

Entering Thursday night, Flacco was averaging more than 325 yards per game and his only loss came against the Los Angeles Rams in his first game with the Browns. Then, Cleveland started its three-game win streak with a 31-26 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Browns followed that up with a 20-17 comeback victory over the Chicago Bears behind 374 yards from Flacco.

With a talented defense, things are getting interesting in Cleveland as fans start to set their sights on a possible playoff appearance. The Browns entered TNF as the No. 5 seed in the AFC.