Rethinking Jimmy Garoppolo as the Browns quarterback of the future
By Thomas Moore
The Cleveland Browns have been unlucky in their search for a quarterback, but could they be poised to be at the right place at the right time with Jimmy Garoppolo?
The Cleveland Browns will open the 2017 NFL Draft at the end of April by making the first overall selection for the first time since 2000.
Following this weekend’s NFL Scouting Combine, many folks are ready to fill out the Browns’ draft card and turn it in with Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett’s name written down.
The Browns need a disruptive force on defense and Garrett did nothing in the annual shorts and T-shirt skills drill to dissuade anyone from naming him the presumptive No. 1 overall selection come late April.
But while selecting Garrett solves one problem, it doesn’t solve the Browns biggest problem, which is the quarterback position, an area where the team has arguably the weakest position group in the NFL.
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How to solve that problem will be heavily debated in the coming weeks. If the Browns like one of the draftable quarterbacks but still select Garrett, they run the very likely risk that the quarterback they really want will not be there when they select at No. 12.
There is the possibility, however small, that Cleveland bypass a quarterback at No. 1 but then move back up if the player they like slips past the San Francisco 49ers at No. 2 and the Chicago Bears at No. 3. The Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 4) and Tennessee Titans (No. 5) don’t need quarterbacks, and the New York Jets (No. 6) have said that every one of their draft picks is up for sale, so there are possibilities.
They are risky, but they are there.
Another avenue – and one that remain in the Browns’ line of sight – is to trade for New England Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. All it would presumably cost the Browns is the No. 12 overall pick in the upcoming draft. (A price, we’ve repeatedly been told, is perfectly reasonable if the Browns believe that Garoppolo is “the right man.”)
One of the selling points about acquiring Garoppolo despite his limited amount of playing time, is that he was “highly regarded” coming out of Eastern Illinois in 2014. Garoppolo was so “highly regarded,” in fact, that he lasted until the end of the second round and four other quarterbacks were selected before him.
Draft mistakes are made all the time – just look at what the Browns did in the first round of that same 2014 draft – so should people hold it against Garoppolo that every team in the league passed on him (some twice) before the Patriots selected him?
Related: RG3’s days with the Browns are clearly numbered
While is it subjective to say that Garoppolo was “highly regarded” coming out of college, taking a look back at the various draft profiles and articles reveals something very interesting.
There is this from his NFL.com profile:
"Possesses the physical tools to eventually earn an NFL starting job in a rhythm passing game with continued refinement but is more of a caretaker than a game changer and will require some patience adapting to the NFL game."
Or this from WalterFootball.com:
"As a passer, Garoppolo has a nice skill set. He has a strong arm with a fantastic delivery. His quick release and field-vision potential illustrates the likelihood for him to be a good pocket passer. WalterFootball.com has received positive feedback on Garoppolo from scouts and coaches. They view him as a nice developmental option for the second day of the 2014 NFL Draft."
And this from CBS Sports:
"Garoppolo is appealing as a next level quarterback because of his eye use, timing and overall intellectual process as a passer – will benefit from NFL coaching and should continue to get better, projecting as a future NFL starter within 2-3 years."
It is that last line that really stands out: “will benefit from NFL coaching … projecting as a future NFL starter within 2-3 years.” It is a common theme from 2014 – Garoppolo may not be ready now, but give him a couple of years and a team might really have something.
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Well, here we are three years down the road and the big unanswered question is whether or not the Patriots truly have a special player in Garoppolo.
The media certainly seems to think so as there are numerous national and local writers moonlighting as PR agents for the Patriots in trying to up the asking price on Garoppolo.
There are numerous Browns fans who think so as well as they are ready to do anything to avoid having to see another year of ineffective quarterback play.
Patriots fans certainly seem to think so, oddly enough, and are heavily pushing the idea that of course another team should do everything in its power to trade for the transcendent force that is Jimmy Garoppolo.
That is the one angle that should give anyone associated in any capacity with the Browns reason to pause.
It has someone become accepted as fact that current New England quarterback Tom Brady will play another “three to five years” at a high level, even though there has not been a single quarterback in the history of the NFL who has played at a high level past the age of 40 – an age that Brady will hit before the start of the 2017 NFL season. (People hate when we bring up history, but them’s the facts.)
If Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is as smart as everyone says he is and he is willing to trade Garoppolo, what does that tell everyone?
It is certainly possible that the narrative that the Patriots “must trade” Garoppolo is actually true and the Browns are poised to be in the right place (holding enough draft capital to make a trade) at the right time (three years after he was drafted) and will be the beneficiary of a generational talent.
Next: Myles Garrett making his case for No. 1
If that is the case and the Browns can close out the first day of the draft with Garrett and Garoppolo, then they could be on their way to finally fixing what for too long has seemed unfixable.
And if not? Well, there is always next year.*
(*Unless the Browns throw everyone into a tizzy by selecting a quarterback with the No. 1 overall selection in this year’s draft.)