Cleveland Browns late Christmas wish: Garrett Gilbert back please

Cleveland Browns, don’t forget to steal Garrett Gilbert back next year

Dear Santa, the Cleveland Browns have been very, very good this year and all the presents have been great. I don’t want to seem greedy — well, okay I am greedy, I cannot lie to you, sir — but the one thing that the team screwed up this season was letting the third-string quarterback get away.

Case Keenum is a great backup quarterback, so this is not in any way a complaint about him. It’s just that in today’s NFL the position is so important that it makes sense to go into the season with three quarterbacks on the roster rather than only two.

Gilbert was a late bloomer who threw a lot of interceptions as a freshman and sophomore, but turned it around by his senior year at Southern Methodist University. He ticks off all the right boxes: Size, arm strength, mobility, decision making, accuracy, two years experience with the Browns, one season with Stefanski.

Gilbert has been in the NFL as a backup since 2014 while never seeing much game action until this season with the Cowboys, when he almost led them to an upset of the Steelers. He also has a Super Bowl ring earned as a backup for Tom Brady. Gilbert was the top quarterback in the Alliance of American Football, prior to John Dorsey signing him for the Browns.

When it comes to quarterbacks, Dorsey has never missed. The last time I made that assertion was back in November, which was not that long ago. A few angry fans wrote to complain that Dorsey had assuredly missed on Baker Mayfield because he was too short and could never beat a good team, and blah blah blah.

Well, now the Browns are 10-4, and Mayfield is playing lights out. So, let it be asserted even more loudly than ever that John Dorsey, is a brilliant judge of talent and especially quarterback talent, and HE HAS NEVER MISSED.

The Browns should not let Gilbert just get away. He will be a free agent at the end of the year, so sign him back. Cleveland has been lucky, especially in the Covid season, not to have needed to go to the backup quarterback. But sometimes teams have to win with the backup. It was just in 2017 that Nick Foles led the Eagles over the Patriots and Tom Brady, so it does happen.

Dorsey influenced Green Bay’s decision to sign and develop Aaron Rodgers and that worked out okay. As general manager of the Chiefs, he signed that same Nick Foles as a free agent (he then left to go win a Super Bowl for Philadelphia because he was not a starter at Kansas City), traded for Alex Smith, then traded up for Patrick Mahomes. That made everyone mad because they said he had over-invested in quarterbacks.

Aaron Rodgers, Nick Foles, Alex Smith, Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield…and Garrett Gilbert from the bargain bin. That isn’t a bad record, it is just a shame to see the team just give away Garrett Gilbert due to a crowded roster. So get him back. In today’s NFL, it obliges the team to have three talented quarterbacks, not just two, or God forbid only one.

Don’t assume that the Browns could not outbid the rich and powerful Wizard of Arlington. That is false. Jerry Jones is in self-created salary cap hell and has trouble hiring free agent peanut vendors. If the Browns are willing to offer Gilbert a partially guaranteed contract, they can probably sign him back. Gilbert is after a roster spot on an NFL team at this point, and he has earned that. In fact, his salary probably should be bumped up and a two-year deal should be offered with a signing bonus and that should pry him loose from the Cowboys or other challengers.

It would not be a total shock to see the Steelers look at him as a competitor for Mason Rudolph for the number one job is Big Ben Roethlisberger decides to retire. In that case, the Browns might not be able to offer him first string dollars.

Also erroneous is the idea that there is this quarterback prospect from East Podunk State that the Browns need to draft in the third round who is going to be really good. One lesson that should have been learned from Mayfield and Josh Allen is that it usually takes three years to develop a quarterback.

However, a mid-round college kid, unless he is Russell Wilson, cannot be counted on as a rookie. Gilbert is unusual because in his case, it’s not the age (30 next season), it’s the low mileage. He has been injury-free all this time. He could play seven or eight seasons as a starting quarterback in the NFL. It’s very unlikely that there could be a mid-round draft pick who can actually outplay an eight-year NFL pro in the next two seasons. Think it through. Use the pick on a linebacker or someone who is actually needed.

Cleveland used to be the place where quarterbacks went to die.  It is time to reverse that reputation. Cleveland should become a quarterback factory, and should be three-deep, just in case Baker Mayfield is unavailable for a while (keep your fingers crossed).