With the NFL’s offseason underway, the wishlist for Cleveland Browns fans for the NFL Draft and, to some extent, free agency (coming soon) has to include improving the offensive line and receiving corps. Depth on defense is always welcome, too.
By and large, though, Cleveland has to keep making strides at improving its overall roster. The Browns did that in last year’s draft in picking up Mason Graham, Carson Schwesinger, Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin Jr., but they still have a ways to go.
Now it would seem as if Cleveland has to evaluate the likes of Shedeur Sanders further when it comes to the quarterback position. Sanders had his struggles as a rookie when he was starting last year for the Browns, and he has to clean up his footwork and pocket awareness if he’s going to take the next step in his growth.
On the other hand, Sanders’ lack of help on offense didn’t make things any easier, and he did demonstrate some natural playmaking ability and touch, and there were positive signs as he got more reps. Even still, there are questions for Cleveland regarding quarterback, which is no strange scenario.
With that caveat, while Cleveland could potentially seek out bringing in a veteran in some facet, some seem to believe the Browns might target a quarterback again via the draft. Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report recently mentioned how in a “dream situation," Cleveland could aim to select Carson Beck of Miami later in the draft. Davenport prefaced this by emphasizing how Cleveland should continue to take QBs in the draft until it finds its guy.
"At this point, the Browns cannot assume they have their long-term answer at quarterback. With uncertainty around both Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, the organization should keep investing draft capital at the position, taking swings in the middle rounds each year until a true franchise starter emerges.
Miami's Carson Beck isn't an especially high-ceiling prospect — if he was he wouldn't be a Day 3 pick. But he's an experienced and accurate quarterback who the Bleacher Report scouting staff compared to Jared Goff-lite."
The Browns selecting Beck would be a shot in the dark
Following his 2023 campaign at Georgia, it appeared as if Beck was on a trajectory to be a very high draft pick. In that season, he had 3,941 yards and a 24-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and him building on that seemed realistic with more experience.
Unfortunately for Beck, Georgia did fall a bit short of expectations in 2024, and he suffered an elbow injury at a bad time in the SEC title game. He then transferred to Miami for the 2025 season. Beck was solid there and had a nice run in the College Football Playoff, helping the Hurricanes reach the national championship game.
Miami was a team that rode its stout defense and impressive running game to its potential title shot, when the Hurricanes lost to the Indiana Hoosiers, the nation’s top team and No. 1 seed. But Beck played well to his credit in the College Football Playoff, with particularly noteworthy performances in wins over the Ohio State Buckeyes and Ole Miss Rebels. By and large, Beck was a steadying presence for Miami in 2025, and this now-past season was a nice end to his collegiate career.
With that in mind, as Davenport alluded to, perhaps the Browns could find a gem here in Beck with a mid-round selection upon further development. Granted, one has to factor in that Beck will be 24 during his rookie year and others will surely be in the fold.
But he did have his share of big moments as a collegiate signal-caller, and even with some lows over time, Beck is a gifted thrower that has shown he can thrive within structure when protected. And one has to inherently point to the Georgia connection with head coach Todd Monken, who was the offensive coordinator there during back-to-back championship seasons for the Bulldogs. He’ll have familiarity with Beck, even with Beck not having been the starter during those title runs.
But the Browns potentially drafting another quarterback already in 2026 would seem at face value to be a relatively odd “dream,” and Beck has a ways to go when it comes to handling pressure. That would be another young QB for Cleveland with that issue to clean up, not to mention the fact that the Browns have to overhaul their offensive line.
Browns fans would probably be more on board with that scenario with the team adding more QB help via the draft than the team possibly targeting a declining veteran reclamation project on the trade market. Either way, strange things could be on the table when discussing the Browns and the quarterback position.