Cap space, a lack of trade options, and the absolute need to replace Deshaun Watson on the Cleveland Browns' roster are all making for a tense offseason for general manager Andrew Berry's team.
While the Browns keep getting named as a team circling certain free agent and potentially trade-available quarterbacks such as Matthew Stafford and Kirk Cousins, there's been one key point missing from those silly season rumors: Cleveland has no room to dole out money to well paid signal callers.
This eliminates them from any real conversations around acquiring quarterbacks like those already mentioned, and makes it all the more obvious that they'll have to sign one or two backups to one-year deals to replenish their quarterback room, and will have to hope they hit on whichever quarterback they take in the draft.
That's what makes ESPN's NFL senior insider Adam Schefter's latest declaration about the Browns' top draft pick such an obvious one to make.
Adam Schefter makes obvious prediction about Browns' draft plans
In an interview with Ty Schmidt, a member of The Pat McAfee Show, Schefter dropped his one solid prediction about the upcoming NFL draft.
"The thing that I feel most comfortable and confident in this upcoming draft is that the Cleveland Browns, at number two, will end up taking a quarterback. Because they have to. Because logic dictates that. Because common sense dictates that," said Schefter.
Schefter added, "Because, they have Deshaun Watson - because you don't even know who is going to be able to play again in the upcoming season - hurt. Having undergone another surgery on his torn Achilles. You have all the money invested in him. So you need financial relief, and you need a quarterback. And the only way to do that is to be able to do it at number two."
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He made note in the interview that he feels that the Tennessee Titans - who also need a quarterback, and have the number one overall pick - will actually listen to offers for the pick rather than being pushed to take a talent at that spot like the Browns are being pushed to do.
If the Titans do this, or even go with another player like Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter, then the Browns have the option to pick between Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, or "whichever quarterback they deem to be the best quarterback" at the second overall slot.
Hopefully, the competition at 2 is between Ward or Sanders, since most other quarterbacks entering the draft aren't even seen as starters in the league yet. Cleveland is going to have to take a swing here, and hope things pan out between whichever signal caller they take and head coach Kevin Stefanski.
And, again, this is assuming the Browns keep their pick. Berry suggested in his media availability on Tuesday that, if presented an opportunity to improve the team with a trade involving their prime pick, he wouldn't sneer at it.