Cleveland Browns should mimic Buffalo Bills QB depth chart

The Buffalo Bills are the NFL’s greatest quarterback factory, while the Cleveland Browns seem to be timid of developmental quarterbacks. 

The NFL is a copycat league, and looking around the league, this fan is very impressed with the Buffalo Bills who are four deep with quality quarterbacks, so maybe the Cleveland Browns should emulate what they are doing.

Cleveland is set with Baker Mayfield as their first-string quarterback and Case Keenum as their second-string gunslinger, but after that, it’s not clear that Kyle Lauletta is the guy.

The Browns and their fan base have a tradition of being even a bit hostile to the idea of employing backup quarterbacks, fearing that there might be some sort of palace takeover in the works.

Perhaps this is a hangover from the days of Vinny Testaverde backing up Bernie Kosar. The fan base never really forgave Vinny for winning the job, because we loved Bernie so much, so the second-string quarterback is not really trusted in Cleveland.

Buffalo, like Cleveland, has an unquestioned first-string quarterback in Josh Allen. Allen is not going to be threatened by signing some additional quarterback, which the Bills did this offseason, signing former No. 2 overall pick Mitchell Trubisky. Trubisky signed a one-year deal for $2.5 million (that is less than half the rate of Case Keenum, by the way), figuring he would benefit from a year in Sean McDermott’s system. He’s probably right. Getting out of Chicago can only help him.

If the Browns did that, there might be a riot because fans would be hysterical fearing that Trubisky was signed to take away Baker’s job. No, Trubisky is capable of being a first-string quarterback, but he is a backup quarterback for the Bills this season. He displaces Jake Fromm, who was a fifth-round pick out of Georgia.

Fromm has the reputation as a charismatic leader if not a rocket-armed gunslinger, who in 2019 connected on 234 passes 385 attempts for 2,860 yards, 60.8 completion percentage, 24 TDs versus only 5 INT, 572 yards per INT, and141.2 QB rating. Those are not bad qualifications to have at the end of your bench. If he did that kind of damage in the SEC, he can probably be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

Behind Fromm is Davis Webb, who happens to be the guy that Baker Mayfield beat out at Texas Tech. Then Patrick Mahomes showed up and Webb was off to the University of California Golden Bears. Webb is thought to be coaching material when his playing days come to an end, which may happen sooner rather than later.

Nevertheless, a guy who backed up Baker Mayfield, Patrick Mahomes, Eli Manning, and Josh Allen might be pretty good. We can’t be sure that Webb could become a starter at this late date in his career, but he is probably viable as a backup at least.

The Bills have two starting-caliber quarterbacks and a third quarterback who could probably be developed. If something happens to Josh Allen (who runs too much, by the way), Trubisky is probably going to be much better for Sean McDermott than he ever was for Matt Nagy and the dysfunctional Chicago Bears offense. They forget that Trubisky is a former Pro Bowl quarterback. Not a bad situation to be in.

Hopefully, the developmental quarterback never plays. But once in a while, something happens and you need to have someone. Look at the New England Patriots. They had Tom Brady as their first-string quarterback, but they also developed Matt Cassell, Jacoby Brissett, and Jimmy Garoppolo and kept them on the roster for several years and then traded them for replacement draft picks that were better than the ones that they expended in the first place.

That’s a good deal. True, there were some nutcases that thought the Pats should keep the younger QBs and trade Brady (even Cassell had his supporters at the time), but really there was no chance of that happening.

Currently, Kyle Lauletta is the No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart. The Browns have been downright bashful about bringing extra arms onto the roster so far. Is Lauletta so good that he the only quarterback the Browns need at third string?

Maybe, or maybe the Browns are a tad phobic about quarterback controversies after having an ongoing soap opera the past 20 years. Regardless, we may learn more about Lauletta in the exhibition games.

No offense to Lauletta, who has not yet gotten much of a chance with the Browns, but based on what we know, the Bills are probably in better shape with Fromm compared to the Browns with Lauletta. Then, too, the Bills have a credible fourth option to consider in summer camp, whereas the Browns do not.

Certainly the Browns have not appeared to make an effort to bring another competitor to camp this summer. Or, they could be waiting until roster cutdown time in the first week of September to consider their options. If the Cowboys cut former Browns third-string Garrett Gilbert in favor of their seventh-round pick from last year, Ben DiNucci, here’s hoping Andrew Berry claims him on waivers.

Retaining a third, developmental quarterback is not a sign of disrepect to either Baker Mayfield or backup Case Keenum. It’s just a recognition that it is a quarterback’s league, and it is a good idea to have more than one. Keep developing good quarterbacks, and they may come in handy, or if nothing else you may be able to trade them for decent draft picks to keep the young talent flowing into the team.

The Bills have got this figured out. They are able to bring in talent without causing a controversy and causing the locker room to think that they are getting rid of Josh Allen. A few insane sportswriters may think that, but that is okay.

Similarly, if the Browns bring in a few talented arms this summer, that should not be interpreted as a sign that they are giving up on their unquestioned leader, Baker Mayfield. If the team has a chance to acquire potential talent at the quarterback position without investing too much, they should do it even if they have no need at the first or second string position on the depth chart.

Follow the example set by the Buffalo Bills, who have the deepest quarterback room in the league.