The Cleveland Browns have one of the worst quarterback situations in the NFL right now, but there is a very simple fix: taking a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Either Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders (if not both, depending on what the Tennessee Titans do at No. 1), will be available when the Browns are on the clock next month. You would then think that Cleveland would have an easy time just selecting a signal-caller, right?
Well, apparently, the Browns are seriously weighing other options. More and more steam is building toward Cleveland potentially taking Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter with its first-round pick, even though it just signed Myles Garrett to a historic contract extension.
Look: I get the temptation of having two elite defensive ends. It definitely makes sense. However, that’s not something you should seriously be considering when you don’t have a quarterback.
The Browns’ only addition under center this offseason has been Kenny Pickett, and Cleveland can ask its AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers how that worked out for them previously. Why not just do what pretty much everyone wants you to do and draft for your biggest position of need?
Chances are, Ward is going No. 1 overall to the Titans, so perhaps for the Browns, it’s a case of whether or not they like Sanders. It’s funny, because initially, the worry was that Sanders wouldn’t like them, but apparently, Deion Sanders has no issue with his son playing in Cleveland.
Ah, so a clear path to Sanders then! The Browns don’t have to worry. That is, of course, unless they can’t get out of their own way.
This should be the most painless decision Cleveland has made in quite some time. It should be blatantly obvious. The Browns’ quarterback situation was arguably the worst in football this past year, and an easy fix is at their fingertips. Instead, they are playing around with other possibilities.
Now, it needs to be said that Cleveland may still very well end up drafting a signal-caller. The Browns may simply be doing their due diligence by entertaining Carter. But based on all the smoke we have heard since the season ended, the fear is that it may be more than that.
If Cleveland actually does this, if it seriously passes on picking a quarterback on the night of April 24, the long-suffering fan base is going to be beside itself, and it wouldn’t be the first time.
