As March is around the corner, and April is in our sights, we can begin to get a better idea of who the Cleveland Browns might be aiming for with their second overall pick in this year's NFL draft.
Now, it remains to be seen if general manager Andrew Berry will part with the pick or not. In his press conference on Tuesday, Berry suggested that he'd make any move that would immediately improve the roster - a response that came after a reporter questioned him about his willingness to move the pick.
But, Cleveland's in a conundrum headed into the draft. They absolutely need to get a few quarterbacks this offseason to rebuild their QB room, and a handful are likely to come through the draft. And, their cap situation makes it so that they might need to rely on a rookie quarterback to start their 2025 season.
So, the latest rumors out of the combine regarding the Browns' choice at No. 2 overall make a lot of sense.
Latest rumor suggests Cleveland is targeting Cam Ward in NFL draft
According to a rumor shared by Hayden Winks of Underdog Fantasy, the "growing consensus" out of the NFL combine is that the Tennessee Titans are targeting Abdul Carter, the Browns are targeting Ward, and that the New York Giants are targeting Travis Hunter to round out the top-3 picks in the upcoming draft.
Ward has been making noise amongst analysts in the last few days, like with ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper, regarding his value in the upcoming draft. He's beginning to reportedly be seen as the better of the quarterback prospects in the draft between himself and Shedeur Sanders.
Read more: Abdul Carter named "future superstar" with Browns in latest 2025 NFL mock draft
His athleticism, ability to use both his arm and legs to extend plays, and greater pocket awareness are separating him a bit from Sanders' uber-accurate arm.
Cleveland simply needs Ward, or Sanders, or anyone else they sign for a cheap deal this offseason to be good. Not great, but simply reliable and solid. Jameis Winston was that for several weeks with the team in 2024, and it led to a pretty decent stretch of football from their offense. Unfortunately, once he became unreliable, the offense fell apart.
With Joe Flacco in 2023, and with Winston in 2024, it was made clear that Cleveland is probably just a quarterback away from being a decent football team. In 2023, that "decency" equated to a playoff berth. Considering the team has some actual talent on the roster headed into 2025, like with Jerry Jeudy and Myles Garrett, they can still likely compete at that level.
Berry, head coach Kevin Stefanski, and the Browns just have to hope that Ward would work out as a solid rookie signal caller. If he did, the team would look night and day from their 3-14 season.