Cleveland Browns: Still too early to regret not taking Carson Wentz
Some Cleveland Browns fans may be angry at the front office for passing on Carson Wentz in the NFL Draft after seeing how well he played this past Sunday.
2016 was supposed to be a season of stability for the Cleveland Browns at the quarterback position. Then the news came out Monday that Robert Griffin III was heading to injured reserve, making this year another in which more than one quarterback will start a game for the Browns.
2015 had the same beginnings, after current starter Josh McCown could not even make it through Week 1’s game, allowing Johnny Manziel to replace him and be the starter in Week 2.
This vicious cycle will never end until the Browns find a franchise quarterback, or at least someone who can avoid taking a big hit or putting himself in harm’s way.
One player the Browns could have had playing quarterback is Carson Wentz, who carved up the Browns in the 29-10 win for his Philadelphia Eagles in his NFL debut. Wentz finished 22 for 37 with 278 and two touchdowns.
As we know, the Browns could have taken Wentz with the No. 2 overall pick, but instead the decision was made to trade down and ultimately select wide receiver Corey Coleman. Browns Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta explained earlier this year how Wentz was not seen as a top-20 quarterback in the eyes of the front office, although some fans may be wondering just how accurate of an assumption that was.
After watching Griffin struggle while Wentz did so well, some may take out frustrations by saying the Browns should have drafted Wentz. But everyone must remember that Wentz had this great game against arguably one of the worst defenses in the NFL. He may still end up being a great quarterback, but one game against a young, inexperienced Browns defense is not enough to say the front office made a major mistake.
The thinking may be that while Wentz could have been a solid quarterback, there are better options in the 2017 draft. No one wants to admit the Browns are set up for failure this year, but Sunday’s game made it clear that fans are in for another long season filled with more losses than wins. Even if Wentz was starting for the Browns, that may not make much of a difference based on the players lining up around him.
Griffin was brought in to hold down the position until a new option was found in the draft, with success being more of a surprise than an expectation. Now that Griffin is hurt, the focus will unfortunately turn to players the Browns could draft in 2017 instead of any postseason aspirations.