Cleveland Browns quarterback situation will see more change in 2016
By Roger Cohen
The Cleveland Browns made the right move in trading out of the No. 2 spot in the draft, but changes are still coming to the QB position.
Well, there goes that story idea …
The Cleveland Browns have some nerve, screwing up my planned Dawg Pound Daily article that if they weren’t equally in love with both North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz and Cal’s Jared Goff, then they should just get the best deal out of the No. 2 pick and let some other sucker take the gamble on what, in any other draft year, might be iffy mid-round picks.
Hopefully, that’s what the white shoe legal firm of Brown, Jackson and DePodesta (you gotta’ admit, has a powerful sounding ring to it …) was thinking when they found that sucker in the Philadelphia Eagles.
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Sure, the Internet is trolled by a sea of haters all claiming “it’s the Browns so they’ll screw up the picks.” Or naysayers claiming that the Browns sold the pick too soon or too cheaply while ignoring the #1 Business Advice: Pigs Get Fat, Hogs Get Slaughtered). But most of the pro football intelligentsia outside of Northeast Ohio thought the Browns made the savvy move by trading down to No. 8.
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Unless some crazy Draft Day scene comes to life before Thursday’s opening round of the 2016 NFL Draft, the Browns will kick-off their next organized team activity or mini-camp, or whatever innocuous term the NFL calls “practice” these days, with Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown splitting first team reps at quarterback.
But Browns fans will see something different come September, and especially December. Here’s how things look as of today:
- Before, during or immediately after the draft, McCown will be dealt to one of the quarterback needy teams. Or as insurance to a team like the Indianapolis Colts or Kansas City Chiefs.
- The Browns “go local” in the draft. If Walsh Jesuit’s Connor Cook (my draft outlook selection!) is available somewhere after that No. 8 slot, or is Glenville’s Cardale Jones can be had with one of their bonus picks from the Philly haul, the Browns will make a move.
- RG3 opens the season under center, and either fails miserably to grasp head coach Hue Jackson’s offense or gets hurt before the leaves turn.
So which quarterback will lead the Browns to an inexplicably “better than expectations” 6-10 record this fall? As Ray Farmer claimed in his only cogent comment as Browns’ general manager:
“Don’t sleep on Connor Shaw.”