Browns Claim To Have A Plan. Do They?

Change in the NFL can come quickly. Check out pretty much every season and a team that finished with a poor record the year prior will rise up and make the playoffs, while a playoff team a year before sinks to the basement.

Last season, it was the Washington Commanders going from 4-13 to 12-5 and ultimately the NFC Championship game, while the Browns went the other way, an 11-6 record in ’23 followed by the 3-14 disaster last season.

The year prior, the Houston Texans went from 3-13-1 to 10-7 while Minnesota went from 13-4 in 2022 to a 7-10 mark the next year.

Yes, many times, it’s about getting the quarterback as with Houston (C.J. Stroud) and Washington (Jayden Daniels) and while that’s true, neither of those teams got their QB with the first overall pick, and the other question is it sustainable.

Other times, you think you have the quarterback, and the fan base thinks they have the guy, but they are wrong. Look at the mess in Miami and Arizona. Both teams thought they had the guy, but it doesn’t appear they were correct.

Look at the Chargers. They drafted Justin Herbert in 2020, and he’s probably a top ten QB in the league, but they’ve gone 7-9, 9-8, 10-7, 5-12, and 11-6 with him under center, making the playoffs twice. So, it’s not just the QB.

We bring this up because our local team, the Cleveland Browns, come up with one excuse after another as to why they don’t/can’t win, despite teams taking big jumps up the standings every year.

First, the team seems to believe they can only win by getting a franchise quarterback, and while that has some merit, the notion you can only get that guy by tanking and having the league’s worst record is simply not true.

Yes, Joe Burrow was drafted first overall, but how many of the other top ten QBs in the sport were taken in that spot? Baker Mayfield and Jared Goff. So, the majority of the best QBs in the NFL were not taken first overall.

And if you do get a chance to take a quarterback early in the draft, wouldn’t you want to surround him with a solid offensive line and some other offensive weapons?

Let’s say the Browns identify a QB in next year’s draft as they will likely have a top ten pick. What are you bringing him into? Your offensive line is aging and not very good. You have no real good wide receivers.

Your best weapons on offense are two rookies, RB Quinshon Judkins and TE Harold Fannin Jr. That’s it. And knowing the franchise, they will feel the need to play the rookie QB before he is ready. Just like they have done with Dylan Gabriel.

For all the front office likes to plan for the future (free beer tomorrow!), the truth is they have set themselves up poorly if the plan is to get the QB with their multiple first round picks next spring.

Based on all the other stuff they have mucked up in the last six years, we guess that’s to be expected, right?

The bigger question we guess is do they think they are fooling fans with their non-sense? They are good at making excuses for not winning. It’s also what they have the most experience doing.

Browns Should Keep #2, Trade Down Later

Many people think the Los Angeles Rams threw a wrench in the NFL draft plans of many teams when they moved up 14 spots to the first overall selection.

Now, there are many Browns’ fans and media alike advocating trading down to gain more picks, just like the Tennessee Titans did.

We are not in that category.

This is not to say the Browns have an awful lot of holes on the roster, and need plenty of help. However, we would not trade down from the second selection in the process.

Cleveland earned getting the second pick by virtue of their terrible 2015 season, and they should not forfeit the choice.

While we aren’t draft experts or scouts, there does seem to be some talented players, Pro Bowl type players in the top five guys coming into the league.

If the front office and coaching staff still want a quarterback after signing Robert Griffin III as a free agent, then they can still select whomever is left between Jared Goff and Carson Wentz.

If they want to add to the other areas of the team, most of which need help for sure, they can choose between DT DeForest Buckner of Oregon, CB/S Jalen Ramsey of Florida State, DE Joey Bosa of Ohio State, and LB Myles Jack of UCLA.

Notice all four of those guys are defensive players, and if you can recall last season (or still want to for that matter), the Browns defense resembled a sieve.

Whether it is on offense or defense, the Browns need a star, someone to build the unit around. That’s why we would keep the pick.

Don’t forget that the brown and orange have the first pick in the second round too. Sashi Brown and Paul DePodesta will likely be inundated with teams wanting that pick from the end of the first round on Thursday to the time the second round starts on Friday.

If Cleveland wants to deal that choice to get more picks, then so be it. It is sound strategy. We aren’t disputing the Browns need a large influx of talent.

But they need great players to start the building process, and more often than not you get great players early in the first round.

Granted, Tennessee got a haul for moving down to #15, they should have. There is a big difference between picking first and in the middle of the round. The Browns would probably have to go down that many spots to get that type of bounty.

Dropping out of the top five or even the top ten choices, won’t get you as much as the Titans received. And is it really worth an extra pick or two this year to remove yourself from having the chance to pick one of the top five players in this year’s draft?

Besides, we feel the Browns will wind up with more picks this year anyway. It would not be surprising if Cleveland dealt players like Paul Kruger, Trammon Williams, Desmond Bryant, and yes, even Joe Thomas for more picks during the draft.

Remember, all of those guys are over 30 years old, and we believe the front office doesn’t want aging players on this roster.

The gutsy move is to make a decision at #2, and not defer it until later in the draft. Take the best player on your draft board, whether it’s a QB or not.

The Browns needs players, yes. However, they also need great players.

QB? Or Not QB? The Browns Annual Draft Question

The Cleveland Browns have the second pick in this spring’s NFL draft and they should take the opportunity to draft the franchise quarterback the team has needed since Bernie Kosar was unceremoniously released in 1993.

Or should they?

Look, we are resigned that the new folks, yep, the analytical people, will take either Jered Goff, Carson Wentz, or Paxton Lynch with the second overall choice in April.

And until proven otherwise, we have to trust new coach Hue Jackson, a man with excellent credentials on the offensive side of the ball. If Jackson feels there is a guy there who he can groom and make a top notch NFL passer, we will go along with him.

We have heard many personnel people with NFL experience say that the two most important positions on the field are quarterback, and guys who can pressure the quarterback.

And there just so happens to be a player that everybody has at the top of the draft who showed the ability to create havoc for passers at the college level.

He is familiar to northeastern Ohio fans because he played for Ohio State and his name of course is Joey Bosa.

At the beginning of every draft season, that is to say when the first mock drafts start to hit, passers are always at the top of the list. It’s the sexy thing to do.

Then, as the pro days come and go, and the scouting combine is held, more evaluations are made and the quarterbacks get reposition and reevaluated.

Usually, this means that these QBs are thought to not be good enough to be picked in the first half of the draft.

No one wants a repeat of the 2011 NFL Draft which was focused on during Super Bowl week because Cam Newton and Von Miller were the first two picks.

While Newton took the Panthers to the Super Bowl within five seasons, we should also point out three other quarterbacks were taken in the top twelve selections. They would be Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert, and Christian Ponder.

Also consider that just two short years ago at this stage of the off-season, Teddy Bridgewater was considered a lock to be picked in the top five of the draft. He wound up being taken at the end of the first round.

The point is much can change between now and the next two months.

What if the Browns and Jackson evaluate the three college passers and feel there isn’t much difference between the trio, that Jackson will be able to make all three into solid NFL signal callers.

Or he thinks the best of the guys they scout is Cardale Jones or Stanford’s Kevin Hogan?

Then, why not take Bosa if he is available at #2 and wait to take the quarterback with the first pick in the second round.

Another option would be to take the pass rusher at #2 and trade up from #32 to get back in the first round to get the QB.

There is a long way to go before the Browns will be on the clock and they should consider all of their options.

They have a lot of needs besides the quarterback, and the QB isn’t the only difference maker on the field.

Guys who can get to the passer can be just as impactful. Our bet is the new front office and the new coach will research all options before making the second overall selection.