One silver lining for every team that missed the playoffs

Cleveland Browns (3-13)

You have a high draft pick.

The experience of watching and rooting for the Cleveland Browns moves between grief and stoic suffering, and this season was able to provide Browns fans with a healthy mixture of each. The circus of the team’s quarterback situation, paired with the dull passage of time and yardage due to the defense, made for a distressing concoction. Hope did not linger this year, and at the end the result was familiar: a Week 17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and a firing of the head coach.

The news gets worse. The firing of head coach Mike Pettine and GM Ray Farmer might lead to the departure of their best player, Joe Thomas. The All-Pro offensive tackle’s status on the Browns remains conditional.

I understand not wanting to dwell on any part of the Browns season, even the supposed good. The silver lining might actually be made of powdered anthrax.

That said, the good news is that the Browns have plenty of options. With the Titans, the discussion on their future focused on their choice at the first pick in the draft. If Laremy Tunsil is penciled in at No. 1, it works for both the Titans and the Browns.

From a public relations perspective, Joey Bosa seems like the clear choice for the Browns here; it can’t be a bad idea to keep it within the Buckeye State and take talent like the Ohio State defensive lineman. It also fills a need for the Browns. If the team chooses to stick with their 3-4 alignment, Bosa would step in as an outside linebacker and give the team a much needed boost in tacking and maintaining the edge on rush defense.

Otherwise, the natural choice seems to be a quarterback, either Cal’s Jordan Goff or Memphis’ Paxton Lynch. Lynch is the more athletic passer with higher upside, but the Browns might need the more immediate starter in Goff. With Mariota firmly entrenched in Tennessee, a quarterback should be available to the Browns.

Next: San Diego Chargers