The Cleveland Browns have been looking for a franchise quarterback for decades now. That infamous quarterback jersey with all the names ran out of space a long time ago, and the team has yet to find a long-term solution.
Unfortunately, that may not change any time soon. This year's quarterback class is far from impressive, and with the Browns slotted at No. 6 and No. 24, it's hard to believe they'll find their guy there.
Moreover, they may not have many options in free agency, either. At least, that's how Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox feels. In his latest column, he chose the Browns as the worst possible landing spot for three of the biggest names set to be available in the quarterback market.
NFL analyst just named the Browns the worst landing spot for three top quarterbacks
Knox doesn't like the Browns as a potential destination for Daniel Jones, Russell Wilson, and Malik Willis. Granted, the first two candidates may not even be on the Browns' radar, but the latter sounded like a legitimate possibility.
Jones is more than likely to either return to the Indianapolis Colts or land a big-money contract somewhere else. As for Wilson, he snubbed the Browns last offseason, and it's become painfully evident that he's not a starting-caliber quarterback anymore.
As for Willis, he showed glimpses of impressive development and strong play with the Green Bay Packers. Clearly, those two years with Matt LaFleur and learning behind Jordan Love worked wonders for the former Tennessee Titans draft pick.
Now, Knox believes that joining the Browns might not be in his best interests:
"The Browns lack dependable receivers, and they have one of the worst offensive-line situations in the league heading into the offseason. Simply put, Cleveland doesn't have the pieces in place needed for Willis to build off of what he accomplished with the Packers," Knox wrote. "Joining the Browns would likely cause Willis' NFL stock to regress to where it was when the Titans traded him for a future seventh-round draft pick."
Willis is a privileged athlete who has shown an explosive ability to scramble and make plays with his legs. He's also improved his decision-making and has taken better care of the ball in the past couple of years. That being said, he might be more tempted to follow Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to South Beach and join the Miami Dolphins.
As things stand now, the Browns may have no choice but to run it back with arguably the worst quarterback room in the National Football League. And while they have two second-year players who may still turn out to be good, the early returns were far from encouraging.