Well, the Super Bowl was held last Sunday and that means the real football season for fans of the Cleveland Browns is here…
The NFL Draft.
The next two and a half months will be filled with speculation as to which one of the quarterbacks entering the NFL this fall does GM John Dorsey like the best.
And make no mistake about it, the Browns should and in our opinion, will draft a signal caller when the draft meeting opens on April 26th.
There are many fans with the thought if Dorsey can sign (or trade for, depending on what Washington does) Kirk Cousins, then they can use the first and fourth overall picks on other needs.
We feel that would be a mistake.
Cousins has had a decent NFL career, starting 57 games and compiling a 26-30-1 record in those starts. Yes, we know win/loss record isn’t a very good way of judging QBs.
The former fourth round pick out of Michigan State has a career 93.7 passer rating. completing 65.5% of his throws, with 99 touchdowns, compared to 55 interceptions.
His average yards per attempt was 7.6 in 2017, ranking in a 9th place tie with Ben Roethlisburger in that category.
But is Cousins one of the best in the NFL?
We would rank him just outside of the top ten, which compared to the play the Browns have had at the position over the last 20 years, would make him Otto Graham.
However, we would not pass on a chance for greatness because we had a guy who might be better than average.
We have no idea if any of the quarterbacks coming into the NFL this spring will be great, but we know that Kirk Cousins isn’t great, nor will he ever be.
Here is who we would rank ahead of the potential free agent passer: Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Roethlisburger, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, Matthew Stafford, and Russell Wilson.
And by the end of next year, you may have no choice but to add Carson Wentz and Jared Goff. Also, if Andrew Luck is healthy, he’s yet another addition to the list.
The Browns would be better served seeing if Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, or Baker Mayfield can become elite NFL starters than signing Cousins and not adding a QB at the top of this year’s draft.
What if one of those passers became another Rodgers?
Signing Cousins would mean a four or five year commitment to him, which doesn’t work for drafting your future franchise quarterback with the first overall pick. That’s why we would stay away from him.
We would prefer Dorsey draft his guy at #1 and then stash him away for at least a full season, and maybe another half season beyond that. Let the rookie learn the game, so when he does go in there, he’s as prepared as can be.
Bring in a veteran (not Josh McCown, please) who can hold down the spot and give you a professional performance for a year or two. Perhaps someone like Tyrod Taylor or yes, Chase Daniel, a player Dorsey is said to like.
Hopefully, you never are in this position again, and that’s why you have to take a QB. We would favor taking the guy with the highest floor, or the player with the least “bust” factor.
But you have to take the chance to have greatness. Use the first pick on a quarterback.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 