Bleacher Report's trade candidate list brings QB change to Cleveland

The Browns' QB situation is weird. Their undisputed starter – who they're paying unprecedented amounts of money – is both not all that good anymore and can't stay healthy. He'll be taking up over 25% of the Browns' cap over the next half decade or so, which normally would all but guarantee a starting role.

Yet, behind Watson are multiple backup QBs that are not only capable in that role, but have shown the ability to be close-to-league-average starters in other stints with other teams. Jameis Winston, Tyler Huntley, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson have all started their fair share of games, a sign that the Browns don't totally trust Watson's ability to rebound to form or (more likely) even stay on the field.

Still – NFL teams don't often, if ever, carry four QBs on their active game day rosters, so something's gotta give. It's why, in their latest big league-wide listicle, Bleacher Report thinks a Browns QB could be on the move before Week 1.

Bleacher Report has Browns trading one of their backup QBs before camp

BR's pick: Dorian Thompson-Robinson

"Watson's $230 million contract is a massive anchor around the franchise's neck, and if Watson doesn't improve his play markedly in 2024, the Browns are going to face some incredibly difficult decisions. However, no one is taking on that albatross of a deal. Not even most of it ... "

" ... Thompson-Robinson will be hard-pressed to learn much from them from his spot on the practice squad—which is where he's headed. At this point the best thing for both player and team may well be another team expressing interest in an athletic young signal-caller with the potential to at least develop into a quality backup."

Trading your QB3/4 so he can go be a QB2 somewhere isn't exactly the most fascinating piece of analysis, but it's not wrong either. But it's not like Thompson-Robinson, despite making four starts last year, is realistically in the Browns' near or far-term plans. Trading him for a late round pick is probably the best case scenario for both sides.

And with that listicle, this will surely be the last time anyone talks about the Browns' QB situation this year. It was fun while it lasted!