Sometimes it can be good to have options. It means there isn’t a bad decision, just a better one. That’s precisely where the Cleveland Browns are right now. They have way too many holes to patch together.
They also have a lot of ways to do that. The easiest way is through the draft. Thanks to Deshaun Watson’s ridiculous contract, that is probably the only route for Cleveland. That said, they can capitalize on more draft capital by possibly trading down.
Doing that could help them get more picks to address the laundry list of position needs they have between now and the preseason. NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah has the Browns, who have the No. 2 pick, taking Travis Hunter.
If there’s a team that is interested in taking Hunter that doesn’t need a quarterback, they could absolutely trade down, load up on picks and even address the quarterback with their new first pick in the draft.
Again, options are a great thing. That also means the Browns can’t screw up the chance to change this franchise in one draft and an offseason with a very valuable pick.
Browns can avoid pressure of taking a QB with No. 2 pick but take a risk in doing so
The Browns have been the talk of the draft. Mainly because they have the most options of any team in the league about how to approach the offseason. They need a quarterback. Watson is most likely out for all of next season and Jameis Winston is a free agent.
The Dorian Thompson-Robinson era in Cleveland has been miserable and Myles Garrett already said he’s done with rebuilding. So the Browns have to start fresh. That means they’ll most likely address the quarterback position in free agency.
Taking any of the rookie quarterbacks in the draft would set the franchise back rather than progress them forward. So any quarterback they do take in April will be a development player that will learn behind a seasoned veteran.
So they could use that No. 2 pick to take the best athlete in the draft and essentially have a two-way monster that can ignite the offense and rotate in on defense, most likely. But if a team wants Hunter, they shouldn’t ignore calls.
A team like New England could be desperate enough for a two-way superstar that they could realistically overpay to move up in the draft to No. 2. If they did, the Browns could consider getting a quarterback like Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward.
That would fill the need. But they’d need to get a veteran in the building as well. Kirk Cousins seems like the obvious answer, but I wouldn’t knock running it back with Winston. He has a turnover problem, but he could also be a great mentor to Ward or Sanders.
The Browns would then have more picks to work with to address the defense and offensive lines and maximize their draft capital. Again this is speculative. But Cleveland may have a way to get their future quarterback without feeling like they have to draft the best player available.
Options are always good. But overthinking them could be more problematic than beneficial. Cleveland, you’re on the clock. This offseason is way too important to screw up.