Cleveland Browns sign QB Matt Blanchard to practice squad

Aug 23, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Matt Blanchard (6) passes the ball against pressure from Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Anthony Chickillo (40) during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 24-19. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns made an addition to their practice squad today, adding quarterback Matt Blanchard, who was released by Green Bay during the Packers’ final roster cuts.

To make room for Blanchard, the club released offensive lineman Erle Ladson.

Both moves were announced on the team’s website.

It is a mildly interesting move as the Browns already have three quarterbacks on the roster in Josh McCown, Johnny Manziel and Austin Davis.

The signing of Blanchard could mean:

McCown’s concussion was worse than it appears and he may miss more than just a few days.
Manziel’s elbow is worse than the team is letting on, meaning they want another quarterback just in case.
Having seen Davis up close, the Browns are not excited.
Or that Blanchard is just a practice squad player who will be a footnote in team history in a few weeks.

So who is Matt Blanchard? Here are the pros and cons, according to a post from Lombardi Avenue:

"Pros: The biggest thing you can say about Matt Blanchard is that he is a pure winner. Although he played Division 3 football at UW-Whitewater he was still able to go 25-0 in route to winning three consecutive national championships. He threw for 44 touchdowns with only 5 interceptions while in college, carrying a very good touchdown to inception ratio. He also has the ability to make plays with his feet as he has run the 40-yard-dash in 4.69 seconds."

"The biggest thing going in Blanchard’s direction right now is the fact is the coaching staff is leaning toward his direction for the position throughout multiple reports. He impressed everybody at the Packers minicamp in June to where head coach Mike McCarthy had high remarks for the kid."

"“I’ll just tell you what I told him when I met him in April,” McCarthy said. “I said, ‘Why the hell don’t you have a job?’ Just after watching his workout and watching film of his time at Carolina. I just think there’s a lot there to work with, as far as his physical talent. The young man’s a winner, and he’s in a good place.”"

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"Cons: Although coming from a D3 program is not the worst thing in the world, it is not in Blanchard’s favor as his competitor Brett Hundley has experience playing in a premier conference in the Pac-12, which would seem to transfer better from college to the NFL."

"Blanchard looks unbalanced in the pocket while also making throws off his back foot at times. He also is not as physically gifted as Hundley and does not possess some of the tools Hundley has. Hundley’s ceiling and potential also have to be higher than Blanchard’s at this point as well."

This being the Browns, it’s probably a good idea not to sleep on Blanchard, because you can never be sure who will be taking snaps come the final weekend of the NFL season for the club.

Next: Merrill Hoge calls for Browns to release Johnny Manziel

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