The Cleveland Browns entered the offseason with one major question: Who'll be the starting quarterback? Most assumed the Browns would give Shedeur Sanders every opportunity to win the job, though rumors and speculation also circulated.
From potentially signing Malik Willis to trading for Mac Jones, all the way to drafting Ty Simpson or even Brendan Sorsby, Browns fans and analysts have discussed a handful of options. It all led to the status quo: Sanders competing with Deshaun Watson for the QB1 job.
But what if the Browns could have one of their former quarterbacks to spice things up and join the competition? Would any of their former signal-callers be a better option? Let's break down three who would be better for head coach Todd Monken right now.
Cleveland's quarterback situation invites plenty of what-if scenarios
Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco's second stint in Cleveland didn't end well, but it wasn't entirely on him. He's a gunslinger, and Kevin Stefanski held him back out of fear of turning the ball over. Flacco didn't play free, and he started balling out as soon as he was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Flacco knows Monken's offense. He was with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. He's not mobile, but with an improved offensive line and wide receiver corps, and his willingness to let the ball fly, he'd at least make this an exciting team to watch as a bridge quarterback.
Oddly enough, Flacco, at age 38, gave this team the most competent quarterback play of the Deshaun Watson era during the 2023 season. Granted, that bar is way too low. Flacco still has something left in the tank, and arm talent doesn't just go away.
Jameis Winston
An NFL team should be obligated to start Jameis Winston for a couple of games just to see what happens. It would certainly be a popular rule. Winston has always been must-watch television, for better or worse.
As talented as he is wildly erratic, you never know what version of Winston you'll get, sometimes even in the same game or on the same drive. Still, when he's at his best, he has shown that he can pick defenses apart with the best of them.
Winston showed impressive chemistry with Jerry Jeudy, and he played under Monken for three years in Tampa Bay. He totaled 10,586 passing yards and 66 touchdowns in 40 games together, averaging roughly 265 passing yards per game. He also had 43 interceptions, though.
Baker Mayfield
As much as Browns fans will hate to admit it, Baker Mayfield is clearly the obvious choice here. He caused a lot of trouble and overstayed his welcome in Cleveland, but the team also did him wrong, and he never had any sort of stability.
Mayfield has some consistency issues, and his demeanor sometimes rubs people the wrong way. But he's a franchise-caliber quarterback, and that's something the Browns haven't had in their expansion era. They could've had it with Mayfield, but life had other plans.
Even with a revolving door of offensive play-callers, Mayfield led this team to its only playoff win since 1994. After watching him blossom in Tampa Bay in recent seasons, he would win the Browns' current QB competition in his sleep.
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