Cleveland Browns: Free agent quarterbacks who can run the Stefanski offense

Cleveland Browns: Free agent quarterbacks who are good enough to start

Some free agent QBs might be first string elsewhere. They are shown in the table below. In other words, these guys might be great for the Browns to have around, but thinking is that they are going to be much more valuable to some other team and are not going to accept a lowball offer from Cleveland.

Andrew Berry might be willing to offer $10 million to a high class 1B backup to Baker Mayfield’s 1A starting job. But the thinking is that, for example, Jameis Winston might be in line to be at least the bridge quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, and in this cash-rich free agent market, he could be worth $12-$15 million and perhaps even more.

He’s very unlikely to come to Cleveland to be Baker Mayfield’s understudy. Similarly, teams like the Houston, Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Washington Football Team, and Carolina Panthers are probably going to outbid the Browns on the quarterbacks listed below.

Player                        2021 Team          Age       2021 Salary

Jameis Winston             Saints               28        $5,500,000

Marcus Mariota             Raiders            29         $3,500,000

Mitchell Trubisky           Bills                  28         $2,500,000

Teddy Bridgewater        Broncos          30       $11,500,000

In particular, the salaries for Mitch Trubisky and Marcus Mariota are way too low, and if the Browns could really obtain either one as a second-string quarterback, they should jump all over it. Both players are actually good quarterbacks.

Trubisky in particular, played on a poor Chicago Bears offense but did make the Pro Bowl in his second year. He probably chose to play in Buffalo because he had a high regard for their coaching staff, including head coach Sean McDermott and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, figuring that they might help him develop winning for like Josh Allen Likely he is going to get a serious offer in the $12-$15 million class to start.

If not, the Browns should make an offer. Briefly, in this observer’s opinion, the Chicago Bears had other problems besides Mitchell Trubisky, who was used as a scapegoat. You sign a player like that even if you don’t need him.

Oh no! Wouldn’t that set off a quarterback controversy? Well, so what? Too much talent is a problem for weak front offices and coaching staffs that are afraid of having their decisions questioned. In reality, the presence of a Trubisky or Mariota on the roster would give the Browns leverage against Mayfield’s negotiating team.

Berry can say, “gee, the Browns are really looking for a Prom date, Baker, but we do have other alternatives.” That would be well worth the investment if it brings Mayfield and Shark Sports, his agents, into reality.

Teddy Bridgewater is a quality quarterback who can do everything necessary to run Stefanski’s offense. They were together in Minnesota for several years and have a mutual admiration society. However, after making the Pro Bowl in 2015, he suffered a severe knee injury, which kept him from playing until 2019.

The second-string quarterback still has to be counted on to stay healthy for an extended period of time. That rebuilt knee has already exceeded the OEM warranty. Truthfully, the perfect job for Bridgewater is backup quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, but the market demand for skilled quarterbacks is so high that he will probably land a number one job somewhere. If that turns out not to be true and he can be signed for backup dollars, it would be worth considering, for sure.

Cam Newton might be included on the list of potential upgrades, but this is speculative. Baker Mayfield has been bad enough with a torn labrum on his non-throwing shoulder, but Newton’s injury is actually in his throwing shoulder. So no thanks, let’s keep Case Keenum over Cam.

Likewise, Ryan Fitzpatrick is taken off the list because of his uncertain status after a hip injury last season. Ditto for Joe Flacco, who at age 37 is not super old for a quarterback, but the odometer reading is a bit high, and he is just not physically the player he used to be. Let’s hope that the Browns stay healthy enough that they are not looking for an emergency quarterback late in the year in 2022.

The next page discusses free agent quarterbacks who are available and who will be signed to second string jobs, who might fit the job description for the Stefanski offense and might be better than Case Keenum. The question we need to ask is whether these free agents are actually better than the guy we already have.