Sportsnaut
On Tuesday, an insider for the Cleveland Browns opened the door for the team to select a QB again in April’s NFL Draft after selecting a pair of signal callers last year.
In 2025, the Browns created a very messy situation for themselves in their QB room. They traded for former first-round pick Kenny Pickett and signed ageless journeyman Joe Flacco. Sensible moves with Deshaun Watson’s availability up in the air following a second surgery on his Achilles.
However, in the draft, they selected not one, but two QB prospects in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. It gave them four players with a case to start in 2025. But if a team believes they have multiple starting QB options, they really don’t have a true No. 1. That was the case for the Browns.
They traded Pickett before the season started. Moved Flacco when they knew they were headed to another losing year, and Gabriel underwhelmed before a concussion opened the door for Sanders in the second half. Many fans hoped the popular Colorado QB would get a chance, and he did over the final weeks of the season.
However, according to The Athletic’s Zac Jackson, he did little over his seven starts to make himself a real favorite to be the QB1 heading into the spring. Especially with a new head coach set to takeover in the next few weeks.
“He might be on the top [of the depth chart] by default, but we don’t know who the coach is going to be, and the realistic options are going to be,” Jackson told 97.1 The Fan’s T-Bone and Tyvis. “He did almost nothing to prove he should be [the QB1]. He was always developmental. There are some things to work with there.
“He’s under contract, in the mix, started games, and had a small level of success. But going forward, he is not going to dissuade you from pursuing a trade if one is semi-realistic. He is not going to dissuade you from drafting another quarterback early or late… There is no scenario where he is guaranteed anything.”
So if the CLE Browns did consider a QB in April’s event, who could it be? With the team sitting at eight in Round 1, they are sure to miss on the top two QBs in 2026, Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore. However, depending on how his draft evaluations go, Alabama’s Ty Simpson has gotten buzz as a potential Round 1 pick.
Later in the event, LSU star Garrett Nussmeier and USC hidden gem Jayden Maiava could be options. One other potential pick could be Miami’s Carson Beck. He was a two-time champion at Georgia and is on the verge of a third for the Hurricanes. He is considered a strong leader and smart game manager.
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