We're going to keep hearing about how almost every single quarterback available this offseason, whether through the draft, in free agency, or on the trade market, is somehow connected to the Cleveland Browns.
It's just one of many downsides to the Browns' incompetence when it has come to evaluating quarterback talent the last several years - because they keep whiffing, they're always on the hunt. It doesn't matter if it's a "down" year as it pertains to available signal callers. They have to get somebody, for better or for worse.
This year, Cleveland's in a unique position. They really have no cap space to be vying for any legitimately great veteran quarterback talent on the market, and they don't have many trade assets on the roster they're likely to be okay with parting from for a quarterback. So, they seem set to use their No. 2 overall pick on a quarterback.
That's how Mel Kiper of ESPN sees it, anyway.
Mel Kiper slates Browns to take Cam Ward in latest mock draft
Kiper drops some very enticing information in his words justifying placing Ward with Cleveland in his latest mock draft for ESPN. He says that the "consensus" top quarterback in the class, as of right now, is Ward. He also adds that Ward's ability to be a magician in the pocket, both with his strong arm and his legs, makes him worth the price of a top pick.
"So the Browns need an answer under center, and getting a potential franchise guy on a rookie contract could help them turn things around quickly and soften the blow of Watson's contract weighing down the team's salary cap," writes Kiper.
Read more: NFL analyst issues warning to Browns about potential Matthew Stafford trade
Softening the blow of Deshaun Watson's contract is the situation that the Browns find themselves in for years to come. Taking Ward - or Shedeur Sanders - feels like a necessity, given that the team can't really meet the demands of quarterbacks like Sam Darnold or Matthew Stafford in free agency or on extensions.
Cleveland can always take a big gamble on a cheaper quarterback, like Trey Lance or Justin Fields, in free agency instead of chasing one of Stafford or Darnold. But, they run the risk of just delaying the inevitable this way - delaying a necessary tank, delaying the need for waiting on Watson's contract to be off their books, and delaying the need to honor Myles Garrett's trade request.