The NFL Draft Not Really Big For Browns’ Fans This Year.

The annual NFL Draft takes place this week in Las Vegas and as a Browns’ fan, we can’t imagine it having any less buzz.

GM Andrew Berry traded his first round pick this year and the two years following to get QB Deshaun Watson from Houston. And as we have said before, despite anyone’s personal feelings about Watson’s situation, he is (in our opinion) a top five quarterback in the NFL.

So, no debates on what the Browns need to do about that position for several years.

When you take a broad picture of this football team, it’s a pretty solid roster right now.

Berry has seven picks at his disposal, the earliest being #44, and the Browns have two more selections in the top 100, the 78th pick and the 99th pick, both of those in the third round.

Cleveland could still use another wide receiver, even after dealing for Amari Cooper earlier this off-season, and probably get another tight end, to replace Austin Hooper, who was a salary cap casualty.

On the other side of the football, the defensive line needs bolstering, although the possibility still remains that Jadeveon Clowney could return to the team as a free agent.

Defensive tackle is a position of need, although it depends on whether the coaching staff thinks Jordan Elliott and Tommy Togiai can be starters next season. We would feel better if a high draft pick were to be used on this position.

But we would say there is no expectation any player drafted next weekend will be starters when Cleveland kicks off their season in September. Even if a wide out is picked at #44, no one will be concerned if the rookie starts the year as a third receiver.

That shows how talented this current roster is. And Berry has set up contracts so the Browns still have plenty of cap space despite the moves for Watson and Cooper, the presence of Myles Garrett, and even Denzel Ward’s new deal.

There are national writers who believe the Browns may have the most complete roster in the NFL, even though they finished 8-9 last season.

Think about it, they have arguably the best pass rusher in the game in Garrett. They may have the best running back in Nick Chubb. And they have a top cornerback in Ward.

They have perhaps the best guard tandem in the NFL in Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller.

And now, they have a top passer in Watson.

One area they still need to address is kicker. Chase McLaughlin was one of the worst field goal kickers in the league last year. When you lose six games by six points or less, that weakness is even more noticeable.

Also, they are in a division where the best in the league resides in Justin Tucker of the Ravens, and the Steelers and Bengals also have more than solid guys.

It’s something Berry needs to fix. The Browns have to know when they get inside the opponents’ 40-yard line, they are going to come away with points. It’s been awhile since that’s been the case. You have to go back to Phil Dawson.

We wouldn’t be shocked if a later round pick is used to bring one in.

It’s been a long time since Browns’ fans haven’t been obsessed about the NFL Draft. Not having a first round pick does that.

Cleveland will likely be observers on Thursday night, but the fun begins on Friday, when all fans become amateur GMs.

Watson Is Very Good, But It Doesn’t Make It Easier To Take

It was a bold move, a controversial move made by the Cleveland Browns a few days ago. The front office, including the Haslam family ownership, felt the team was a quarterback away from championship contention.

So, they went out and traded a boatload of draft capital for a QB who didn’t even play last season in Houston’s Deshaun Watson. The price was three first round picks and a third and four round selections over the next three years.

Watson’s on-field talent is undeniable. Last year, when trying to determine exactly where Baker Mayfield ranked among the league’s signal callers, we said the former Texan quarterback was one of the top five at the position in the NFL, along with Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers.

The last year he played, 2020, we know the Texans went 4-12, but it wasn’t the quarterback’s fault. The former Clemson standout completed 70.2% of his passes for a league leading 4823 yards, 33 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions. And he led the NFL in average yards per pass attempt.

They gave up 29 points per contest. That’s why they went 4-12.

He also ran for 444 yards. He’s a true dual threat at QB.

However, there is another side to the story. Although Watson was not charged by a Grand Jury, he does face civil suits from 22 women alleging sexual misconduct. It’s like the Browns sold their soul to the devil in order to cure their QB issues.

There are fans in Cleveland who somehow feel the Cavaliers title in 2016, the ONLY championship by a professional sports team in northeast Ohio since 1964, is somehow tainted because LeBron James returned home via free agency and the Cavs put together a “super team”.

First, it is the job of any professional sports franchise to put the best team they can on the field and if they can do so within the rules, it’s legitimate. And no one on that team had any issues legally.

We were not in favor of trading for Watson, feeling it would be a tough sell for any team, not just the Cleveland Browns. Especially for women fans of the Browns. Still, it should appall everyone. It wasn’t one or two females making these claims, it was 22. We doubt it was a smear campaign against the Texans’ QB.

But when it happened, we did feel excitement that GM Andrew Berry pulled off acquiring one of football’s premier passers.

Who knows, Watson may never have another instance in this regard, and while it won’t be forgotten, winning has a way of making people overlook things.

What feels a little grimy is Watson’s contract was structured to prevent a large hit monetarily from a probable suspension, which would figure to be between six and eight games.

And the Browns also had to give him the largest guaranteed money in the history of the league to get him to waive a no trade clause to come to Cleveland.

We said any team dealing for Watson would need a solid backup because he will likely miss games in 2022, and Berry did that by signing Jacoby Brissett, who has 37 starts in his career, including five this year with Miami.

His best year was with the Colts in ’19, going 7-8 as a starter, throwing 18 TDs against six picks, completing 61% of his passes.

When Watson takes the field as a Cleveland Brown, there will be a mixed feeling. While we will root for the Browns, it will be tough to support the quarterback. That’s a shame.

Other teams, notably the Raiders (no matter where they play) have had an outlaw image, and it has been supported by their fans. Cleveland is different. We aren’t used to playing that role, the closest was with Albert Belle in the mid-1990’s.

But Belle was drafted here, the Indians didn’t trade for him.

It’s a conundrum to be sure. Watson’s actions were reprehensible. They weren’t made less appalling because he wears a Cleveland uniform.

Browns Moving On At QB Wasn’t A Rash Decision

We have said from the very end of the Browns’ season in 2021 that Andrew Berry, Paul DePodesta, and Kevin Stefanski would evaluate every position on the football field in an effort to improve the team for 2022.

There were no leaks and crazy speculation from inside Berea, but in appears the trio do hold Baker Mayfield responsible for the offensive issues and are preparing to move on from the former first overall pick.

We do not doubt for a second that there was some turmoil between the quarterback and the head coach last season. Mayfield criticized the offensive game plan, and when you do that publicly, you are butting heads with the guy calling the plays.

Let’s clear a couple of things up first. We have heard that Mayfield only played well here for a small stretch of games, those being the second half of the 2020 season, when the Browns made the playoffs. That’s not true.

Mayfield was very good his rookie season. Remember Cleveland went 0-16 the year before he arrived, and they did go 6-7 in his 13 starts. And he had career highs in completion percentage and touchdown passes.

And the Browns were 2-2 the next season after a resounding 40-25 win at Baltimore. Mayfield was 20 of 30 for 342 yards in that contest.

What followed was a four game losing streak, started with a pair of multi-interception games vs. San Francisco and Seattle. The Browns finished 6-10 and Freddie Kitchens lost his job.

Secondly, remember that the coach and front office inherited Mayfield. They didn’t draft him and therefore didn’t have any attachment. They tried to make things work out, but apparently felt he was more of a problem than a solution going forward.

There can be no doubt Mayfield was not 100% after the Houston game in week two, but we felt (and still do) that the organization kept him in the lineup more because they had no confidence i Case Keenum handling the position, and our guess is Keenum won’t be with the team much longer either.

Another thing to consider is Mayfield’s psyche. It seemed toward the end of the season that he developed the “yips”, meaning it appeared he was afraid to pull the trigger at times. If that happened, the Browns may have no choice. They don’t have the time to rebuild his confidence.

There is no question Deshaun Watson is a top five quarterback in the sport and getting him would improve the position for the Browns. However, you have to figure the price tag to get him (a lot of draft capital) and the current situation in his personal life.

There are many fans who will have a problem getting Watson, and although they will continue to root for the Browns, it will feel a little slimy to support the QB.

And remember, Watson can approve where he goes (ironic right?), so what if he decides he doesn’t want to play in Cleveland? Where do the Browns go for their new signal caller?

First, we don’t think for a minute that the organization put all their eggs in the Watson basket. They have been studying options since the minutes the gun sounded in their week 18 win over the Bengals.

We would guess they are looking at making a deal for Jimmy Garoppolo or Matt Ryan, and perhaps also looking at Jameis Winston.

We also think if they don’t get Watson, thus keeping the 13th overall pick, they will not be taking a quarterback there. If they think the quarterback position is holding them back, they aren’t going to play a rookie there in 2022. Drafting a developmental guy there instead of a player who can help right away doesn’t make sense either.

We should know soon how everything will play out. But it’s pretty clear the Cleveland Browns will have a new starting quarterback next season. Berry and Stefanski probably knew that a while ago.

Trading For Watson Is A Waste Of Browns’ Resources.

There is no question that there are fans and people who cover the Cleveland Browns that are a different breed. The media, in particular, have a different view of the city’s professional football team.

While the Indians can trade Francisco Lindor and people seem to think that’s okay, when it comes to the Browns they speculate about replacing the quarterback who led the team to its first playoff appearance since 2002.

It started with Houston QB Deshaun Watson’s pronouncement that he wants to be traded away from his current team. Immediately, there were folks in northeastern Ohio thinking the Browns should make a deal for the former Clemson quarterback, who by the way, Cleveland could have drafted.

Watson is a talent, that’s for sure. We believe he is one of the top four QBs in the NFL. We don’t include rookie in making this evaluation, but we feel the other three are Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and Russell Wilson.

Yes, the Texans were a terrible team this season, but in Watson’s first full year as a starter, when Houston finished at 11-5, he was sacked the most times in the NFL. There are people who believe Watson sacks himself at times.

All of those other guys we listed have won one Super Bowl each, although Mahomes has a chance to win another next Sunday. Now, we understand the passers who have dominated the sport over the past two decades (Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger) are a little long in the tooth.

Besides that pair, no other active QB has won more than one Lombardi Trophy.

We aren’t saying you don’t need a great quarterback to win the championship, you certainly do, but we are saying having a great quarterback doesn’t guarantee a berth in the Super Bowl.

The current Browns QB, Baker Mayfield got his team to the playoffs in his third season, and won a playoff game, giving him the same number of playoffs wins as Watson.

To us, if you don’t think about replacing your quarterback if you are a playoff team unless he is the reason you cannot advance in the post-season. At this point, that does not describe Baker Mayfield.

His critics, which we feel have a dissenting opinion because they wanted the Browns to draft either Sam Darnold or Josh Allen in the 2018 draft, blame him for not driving the team down the field after the Karl Joseph interception in the fourth quarter of the 22-17 loss to Kansas City.

In reality, the reason the Browns lost that game was their defense couldn’t get off the field when they had the Chiefs in a 3rd and 14 situation. The defense was the weakest point of the team all year, because of injuries, and it couldn’t come through when it was needed.

And that defense will get better in the draft, where the Browns have nine picks. They would almost certainly have to give up some of those choices if they were to go after Watson, that doesn’t make any sense.

Those critics feel having Watson at the helm gives the Browns a better chance to win the AFC title and get to the Super Bowl, but how do we know Mayfield can’t do the same thing? How do we know Mayfield won’t be even better next season in his second year under the tutelage of Kevin Stefanski and Alex Van Pelt, and he can be on the same level as Watson.

He should get that opportunity.

If you could trade Mayfield for Watson, straight up, we would think about it. If you said trading for Watson would guarantee a Super Bowl for Cleveland, we would do it.

But there are no guarantees. Baker Mayfield is the Browns quarterback and he played well in the playoffs and won one game.

That should be the end of the argument. Period.

Browns Defense Puts A Lot Pressure On Baker

It feels like when people talk about the Cleveland Browns, both locally and nationally, the discussion seems to be about Baker Mayfield.

Either his performance each week is heavily scrutinized, and we get that, he is the starting quarterback of an NFL team, or his long term future is analyzed. Is he or is he not a “franchise quarterback”?

We thought Kevin Stefanski said it best last week on a radio show, saying these things have a way of working themselves out. For example, if the Browns wind up at 10-6 this year and Mayfield plays well in a playoff game, he will be deemed the future signal caller for the Cleveland Browns.

If the team falters in the second half, the questions will remain and will continue throughout the 2021 schedule.

However, the front office hasn’t given the QB much margin for error. We arrived at this notion with discussions of the next two opponents coming up for Cleveland, being Houston and Philadelphia, and the idea both of these games could be shootouts.

Currently, the Browns are 5-0 when they score 30 or more points in a game. What is troubling is that if they scored exactly 30 in every game, their record would be 2-5-1. And you couldn’t blame the offense, but there would be people blaming the losing record on the quarterback.

So the pressure is very much on the offense and Mayfield in particular to keep the production that high if Cleveland is to finish with a winning record and a possible post-season appearance.

First up is Houston, a team with a very good QB in Deshaun Watson, and averaging 24 points per game. A closer look shows over the past four weeks, the Texans have put 113 points on the scoreboard (28.25/game) and scored 30 or more twice in that span.

So, what happens if Mayfield and the offense isn’t electric and only puts say, 27 points on the board and Cleveland loses 30-27? Yes, the defense will get a share of the blame, and rightly so, but the loss goes on Mayfield’s ledger.

This isn’t to excuse the former Heisman Trophy winner’s performance in the two lopsided losses to Baltimore and Pittsburgh. In those losses, he completed 31 of 57 passes (just 54.3%) with two touchdowns and three interceptions. He needs to be better in games against the best teams in the division and conference.

But with the defense being what it is for the Browns, the pressure is clearly on the offensive coaching staff and the QB to continue to be prolific if the brown and orange want to keep playing once the 16 game schedule has been completed.

We know the Jaguars, Jets, and Giants are remaining, and Cleveland should be over a touchdown favorites in those contests, but the Texans and Eagles are a different matter. Both those teams are capable of putting up points.

And, of course, there are games vs. Tennessee (imagine Derrick Henry salivating at running the ball vs. Cleveland) and the rematches against the Ravens and Steelers. Right now, we would say if the Browns can’t put up at least 28 points in those games, they won’t be competitive.

Based on this, we would say if Mayfield can get the Browns to the playoffs, he should be considered a franchise quarterback. With the defense being what it is, he’s going to have to be very good game in and game out to get them to 9 or 10 wins.

As Stefanski said, that’s how it will work itself out.

Having Taylor Means Browns Can Take It Slow With Baker.

By nature, Cleveland sports fans are a nervous lot.

Do the Indians have enough pitching, particularly in the bullpen. Will LeBron James leave the Cavaliers in the off-season?

For Browns’ fans, the worry is always the quarterback position. That comes from not having a franchise QB since Bernie Kosar was given his release by Bill Belichick in 1993.

When the Browns draft a rookie at the position, the front office and the fans invariably want to get him on the field, sometimes at the detriment to the player.

Tim Couch was supposed to be the foundation for the Browns when they returned to the NFL in 1999. He came into the first game he suited up for, and started the second game. Behind a makeshift offensive line, it was an expansion team after all, Couch took a beating and lasted just five seasons.

He did guide the Browns to a playoff spot in 2002, however.

Last season, DeShone Kizer was thrown into the fray before he was ready, and the result was an 0-16 season that everyone would like to forget.

So, now the attention falls upon first overall pick Baker Mayfield, and already some fans and media alike are wondering when he will start for the Browns.

Here are the arguments they use, and our response:

The Carson Wentz/Deshaun Watson Factor: Both of those QBs were picked in the first round and started right away, and if they could, why can’t Mayfield?

In Wentz’ case, the Eagles traded away Sam Bradford for a first round pick, and the alternative was Chase Daniel, who had (and still has) started just two NFL regular season games, and had thrown 77 passes total.

And for Houston, it took just one half of football for Bill O’Brien to decide Tom Savage shouldn’t be his starting passer, a job given to him with two NFL starts.

Even Russell Wilson beat out Matt Flynn, signed to a big contract as a free agent after, you guessed it, two NFL starts.

By contrast, the QB the Browns plan to open the season with, Tyrod Taylor, has started 42 NFL games, has a winning record in those starts, and guided the Buffalo Bills to a playoff spot last season.

This isn’t to say Taylor is an All Pro. But he is a professional quarterback with a proven track record. And for a team that has won one game in the past two seasons, that’s very appealing.

His Age. Mayfield is 23 years old, hardly an advanced age. Aaron Rodgers was 25 years old when he started his first NFL game. Brett Favre was also 23. Russell Wilson was 24 years old.

The point is this–if Mayfield sits this season, he could still wind up as the Browns’ starting QB for 12-15 years, based on how long players like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Favre have started.

The Bust Factor. If Mayfield doesn’t start right away, clearly he is a bust. Last year, the Kansas City Chiefs picked Patrick Mahomes in the first round and he started one game, the last game of the year after KC clinched a playoff spot.

Is anyone saying he’s a bust?

Look, if the best veteran QB the Browns had was Brian Hoyer or Brock Osweiler, we could understand being upset if Mayfield couldn’t beat them out.

That’s not the case here.

If Mayfield overwhelms Todd Haley and wins the job by being better than Taylor, then so be it. Otherwise, why not let the future franchise quarterback, learn how to be a professional by observing both Taylor and Drew Stanton, two guys who are pros.

Relax, Browns’ fans. There’s no rush here.

If the Browns are 4-8 with four games left, then they can let Mayfield get a chance to show what he has learned.

But, here’s a novel approach. Why not try to win some football games? It doesn’t mean you are stunting Mayfield’s growth, nor does it mean the Browns blew the first overall pick.

Note To Hue Jackson: Run The Football, Protect Your Young QB

The Cleveland Browns are searching for a quarterback. We believe everyone would agree with that statement.

As we are so often reminded, in the past two NFL Drafts, the Browns passed on picking what a lot of experts felt were blue chip prospects.

In 2016, Cleveland could’ve picked Carson Wentz, but traded out of the pick, obtaining a lot more draft choices.

This past April, the Browns were in position to take Deshaun Watson from the national champion Clemson Tigers, but again traded out of the slot, and in the second round took DeShone Kizer.

However, in watching last Sunday’s game against the team that drafted Watson, the Houston Texans, a few things stood out.

The first and most glaring was how Texans’ coach Bill O’Brien has taken care of his rookie, in sharp contrast to how Hue Jackson has handled Kizer.

Watson made very few throws outside the numbers. O’Brien gives him a lot of easy throws, short passes over the middle, with an occasional deep ball, like the 39 yard touchdown pass to Will Fuller.

He has completed 61.5% of his passes, and he does have a security blanket in WR DeAndre Hopkins, who has caught 37 passes on the season, for an average of 10.3 yards per reception.

Kizer doesn’t have a wideout like Hopkins, the Browns’ leading receiver is RB Duke Johnson with 26 catches. The wide receiver position is like a revolving door, with Ricardo Louis having the most catches with 18.

The biggest benefit for Watson is the Texans’ running game, which ranks second in the NFL in both number of attempts and yards gained.

Cleveland ranks 18th in attempts and 17th in yards. But do you know what the difference in yards per carry is between the two teams? Houston averages 4.4 per rush, and the Browns are at 4.2.

That’s right, 0.2 yards per carry.

Yet, the Texans have run the ball 49 more times on the season than Cleveland.

It’s not much different for Wentz’ Eagles, who sit atop the NFC East at 5-1. Philly ranks 5th in the league in rushing yards, and 4th in attempts. Average yards per carry? The same 4.4 figure the Texans own.

The top ten in rushing is pretty much a list of surprise teams or teams with young quarterbacks.

Jacksonville (3-3) with a mediocre to this point in his career, Blake Bortles, is first. Houston (3-3) with a rookie in Watson is second.

Another rookie guided squad, the Bears (2-4), led by Mentor’s Mitch Trubisky, is third.

Others in the top ten are the Eagles (5th), the Vikings (4-2) despite an injury to Sam Bradford is 7th, the surprising Rams (4-2) with second year QB Jared Goff are 8th, and the Jets (3-3) with aging veteran Josh McCown, yes, that Josh McCown, round out the top ten.

Unfortunately, the Browns seem to go into each game intending to run the ball, but as soon as they fall behind by ten or more points, even if it is still in the first half, they go away from it.

Cleveland should be able to run. They have two backs, who at least can be considered solid in Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson.

They invested money in two free agent offensive linemen this off season and still have the incomparable Joe Thomas and Joel Bitonio.

And as previously stated, it’s not like they average 3.5 yards per carry.

Do the people who bring up Wentz and Watson think those passers would have the same success running the offense the Browns are currently running?

It’s time for Jackson to adjust his offense to the talent he currently has, including DeShone Kizer. That would be the best thing for his development.

Failure To Run Not Doing Kizer Any Favors.

With the Cleveland Browns struggling once again this season, and rookie QB DeShone Kizer playing like, well, a rookie, another tradition has surfaced among fans and media alike.

That would be bringing up all of the quarterbacks the franchise has passed on in recent history.

However, no one is taking into account the circumstances that Kizer is dealing with to date.

When Kizer was named the starter in the pre-season, we (and just about everyone else) assumed Hue Jackson would protect the youngster, emphasizing the running game and the defense.

Only four teams right now have averaged less rushing attempts per game this season, and outside of Green Bay (3-1), the other three teams have combined for one win (by Miami) on the season.

Now, there are those who say because those teams are losing, they have to throw the football, but the teams who have accumulated the most rushing yards on the season right now are Jacksonville (a surprising 2-2), Denver (3-1), Philadelphia (3-1), Houston (2-2), and Tennessee (2-2).

What do all of those teams have in common? They all are playing relatively young quarterbacks, including two that the Browns passed up on, Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson.

It’s almost as if a good recipe to win with a young quarterback is to run the football.

Would you be surprised if we told you Cleveland averages more yards per carry as a team than the Steelers, Bengals, or Packers? Well, they do, which makes it more curious as to why Jackson seems to give up on the run so easily.

Even Mike Pettine knew not to give up on the run.

Remember Pettine’s first game as head coach? The Browns trailed the Pittsburgh 27-3 at halftime, but instead of throwing the football all over Heinz Field, he stuck with the run, using 13 running plays in a third quarter where his team cut the lead to 27-17.

It can be done.

The lack of commitment to the running game is also hurting the defense. The Browns had the ball for 31 minutes in the opening day three point loss to Pittsburgh.

That number dropped to 26 minutes in the week two and three losses to Baltimore and Indianapolis, and reached a season low 24 minutes in Sunday’s defeat by the Bengals.

It’s not like the passing game is working either. Cleveland’s average yards per pass attempt of 5.0 ranks 29th in the NFL. And, of course, the nine interceptions thrown by Browns’ passers is three more than any other team in the league.

Jackson’s team has thrown the third most passes in the NFL, behind just Arizona and the New York Giants and tied with Green Bay. Those three teams all have veteran signal callers, two of them winning Super Bowls.

If Jackson wants to keep playing Kizer, and he should because once he was named the starter there was no turning back, he needs to protect him.

Commit to running the football even if you fall behind by two touchdowns early. Why not line up in two or three tight end sets, utilizing TEs Seth DeValve and David Njoku in the passing game?

And running the ball would control the clock, keep your defense fresh, and shorten football games. That’s what teams that lack talent should do.

It’s time for the Browns to take care of their rookie quarterback. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like the coaching staff is interested to doing just that.

Browns Media Continuing QB Envy

Yesterday, Cleveland Browns’ executive Sashi Brown returned to his lawyer roots and basically sidestepped any question thrown at him by the media.

As usual, what did they expect him to do? Did they really think Brown was going to tell them exactly what the Browns were going to do in free agency and in the draft?

Brown even said the team would be interested in listening to offers for the first overall pick, and of course, he should listen. What if Indianapolis offered QB Andrew Luck for the choice? You would have to take it.

Now, that’s not likely, so the probability is Cleveland will keep the first overall pick, and should take Texas A & M pass rusher Myles Garrett.

To be sure, this will offend the wacky members of the media here who are obsessed with the quarterback position. We have often said these people’s jobs don’t depend on making good choices in the draft, so they are always in favor of picking a QB.

In our opinion, one of the top three quarterbacks available this year (Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, or Deshone Kizer) will be there at #12, when the Browns have their second pick in the first round.

So, you can still get a first round passer and also get the guy most scouts/draft experts think is the best player in the draft.

Does anyone else think it’s funny that the people who believe you have to use a first round pick on a QB are also enamored with potential free agent Kirk Cousins? Cousins was a fourth round pick. How did he overcome that status to become a productive starting quarterback in the NFL?

We also don’t believe for a minute that Jimmy Garoppolo is off the market. Our guess is no one is offering the first round pick the Patriots thought they could get for Tom Brady’s back up, so they are trying to drive up the price.

Remember the Patriots traded Jamie Collins to the Browns because they didn’t want to pay him big money. If Brady wants to play three or four more years, they aren’t going to pay huge cash on his back up.

That means New England is motivated to move the former Eastern Illinois product, which puts another QB on the market.

Add to that mix, Tyrod Taylor and possibly Colin Kaepernick, although we don’t know how much interest there will be in him because of his recent performance, and now you have five quarterbacks who are out there for teams in need.

Most draft gurus say besides the Browns, the following teams drafting before Cleveland need QBs: San Francisco, Chicago, New York Jets, and Buffalo.

We don’t believe that all four will choose quarterbacks, because at least a couple of teams will feel the same as the Browns and determine none of the college guys are worth a top five or top ten pick, and will either trade down or wait until round two.

So, in our opinion, there is no need to trade up or take a QB with the first overall pick. Someone will be there at #12, hopefully Watson or Trubisky.

As for the Sashi Brown and Paul DePodesta? They aren’t going to say anything worthwhile.

Browns Need To Address QB…Now!

If you have read this site in the past few months, you know that we are not in the group who believe the Cleveland Browns need to take a quarterback with the first overall pick in this spring’s NFL Draft.

We will stand by our opinion that Texas A & M pass rusher Myles Garrett should be the pick at #1.

However, that doesn’t mean the Browns should not address the quarterback position before the 2017 season starts, either.

We have had the opinion in the past that the Cleveland Browns are like the sign in a bar, “free drinks tomorrow”. The front office has told you in the past that they will be good next year.

However, he have heard some in the media saying the Browns should go defensive in this draft and put off looking for a passer in the 2018 draft.

No, no, no, no, no, NO!!!!

Sashi Brown and Paul DePodesta will never, repeat never, have more draft capital than they have right now. They have five choices in the first 65 picks in April. One of them should be used to draft a QB, or at least used in a trade to get the signal caller this franchise can build around.

Perhaps it would be dealing the first pick in the second round to New England to get Jimmy Garoppolo. We realize some in the media would give up the first overall pick to get Tom Brady’s back up, but we believe #33 and perhaps a pick in the first three rounds of the ’18 draft would be enough to get the former second round pick.

Or, the Browns could use the #12 overall choice to draft Mitch Trubisky or Deshaun Watson from the college ranks, and start to develop the selection as the guy to build the franchise around.

In that case, you start the regular season with Cody Kessler as the starter and bring along the rookie to be able to hit the field in the second half of the regular season, or perhaps the beginning of the ’18 campaign.

Those would be our preferences.

Why not a guy like Tyrod Taylor or Jay Cutler? It’s simply a factor of the known vs. the unknown.

Garroppolo, Trubisky, or Watson may turn out to be busts, but they also could wind up being top ten QB’s in the NFL.

The reason people have made for Taylor and/or Cutler is that they are better than the current Browns’ quarterbacks. That’s not setting the bar very high, and if you have five picks in the top 65 selections in the draft, you have to have the mindset that you are going to find the right guy.

Taylor is 27 years old, and is a great athlete. But is he a difference maker at QB?

He’s started 28 NFL games and has had one 300 yard passing game.

His average yards per attempt ranked 22nd in the league in 2016, although he was 11th in 2015. His reputation is that he makes a lot of safe throws and doesn’t turn the ball over. Thus, the dreaded “game manager” label.

The point on Taylor and/or Cutler is if you ranked all of the NFL quarterbacks, they would probably both rank in the bottom ten in the league.

If you are going to take a shot on getting the QB, you have to aim higher than someone who will be in the bottom third of the NFL.

It may not work out, but you have to take the shot.

And you have to take the chance now. No more postponing the decision for another year. It’s time to get the guy who can lead the Cleveland Browns in the future. They have the picks to get it done now.