NFL expert predicts an abysmal quarterback class for Browns in 2025

The Cleveland Browns have a luxury right now. They have a head coach who is actually decent in addition to some pieces on offense that could successfully carry over into next season despite how abysmal the entire unit has been in 2024. The defense is, for the most part, strong. So, the Browns just have to focus on a few positional groups that'll need shoring up after free agency this offseason.

Those groups include at wide receiver, on the offensive line, in the secondary, and at quarterback. The latter position is one that's up in the air based on the Browns' recent comments on Deshaun Watson after his season ending Achilles injury. Quarterbacks have come back from the devastating injury - Kirk Cousins with the Atlanta Falcons is a great example of best case scenario for a signal caller after suffering that injury, with perhaps Aaron Rodgers with the New York Jets being a more realistic base to view Watson's ceiling at for next year.

Read more: Where would the Browns pick in the NFL Draft if the season ended today?

Head coach Kevin Stefanski has said that while the team believes in Watson, they also have to be realistic and understand he just underwent a massive leg injury. General manager Andrew Berry said that "it's always possible" Watson comes back next season as the team's starter, which is not exactly a committed statement for your most expensive player.

So, could the Browns actually be thinking about drafting a backup to Watson that is, in reality, the next starter for Cleveland once Watson comes back and presumably doesn't look great? It's possible - many mock drafts across sites have them looking at Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, or even Jalen Milroe with their very prime first round pick.

But, one NFL insider told Cleveland sports talk radio show 92.3 The Fan that Cleveland is facing a dilemma if they choose to rebuild at quarterback through the draft - a terrible quarterback class.

NFL insider says the bad part out loud about Cleveland's plans at QB

Sports Illustrated's senior NFL writer Albert Breer told the Afternoon Drive show that next year's draft may very well resemble that of the 2022 quarterback class, which featured players like Desmond Ridder and Kenny Picket.

The Browns aren't the only team competing for a top pick in hopes of taking one of Sanders or Ward - the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, and Las Vegas Raiders are all likely in on one of them, but Breer cautioned to The Fan that Cleveland might be facing a choice between developing a raw talent at quarterback and hoping that works out for them or selecting another talent like Tetairoa McMillan or Will Campbell to help rebuild their wide receiving and offensive line rooms respectively.

It still might be worth taking a gamble on someone like Milroe who may be available early in the second round in 2025 with Stefanski at the helm. Development of young quarterbacks in the NFL feels like a lost art, but if there's a team with incentive to get that done, it's Cleveland.

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