The Cleveland Browns entered the 2025 NFL season needing a quarterback. The regular season came to an end, and that’s still the case.
At least, that’s how Daniel Oyefusi feels. In his latest column, the renowned Browns insider claimed that this team needed to fix its quarterback situation in the 2026 NFL Draft:
“Biggest need: Quarterback,” Oyefusi wrote. “The Browns cycled through three quarterbacks amid another double-digit loss season. But if you really want to place Cleveland’s issues under center in proper context: The Browns have started 42 different quarterbacks since the franchise returned to Cleveland in 1999 — by far the most in the league. Neither rookie passer (Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders) established himself as a surefire, long-term option. Browns quarterbacks posted the lowest QBR this season, and with a pair of first-round picks, Cleveland is in position to potentially solve the organization’s decades-long search for a franchise quarterback.”
Truth be told, it’s hard to disagree with that statement. As things stand now, Deshaun Watson is the best and safest quarterback option for the Browns, and that says a lot about this team’s situation.
The truth is that Shedeur Sanders’ numbers were historically bad. He wasn’t much better than Dillon Gabriel, even if he did a better job of getting the team energized.
Unfortunately, however, those two late-season wins may have put the team out of contention for any of the top quarterback prospects.
Now, this team can either reach by taking a lesser prospect like Ty Simpson in the first round, take another flier on a mid-round pick, or trade up. Nevertheless, that last scenario would probably be the worst.
As much as the Browns desperately crave a quarterback, they would have to give up way too much to move up to the top two. They need both of their first-round picks, as they’re not just one quarterback away, and they need to bolster their offensive line and add more talent to their wide receiver room. Also, the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets both need quarterbacks, and it’s hard to envision any scenario in which they would agree to trade down.
As things stand now, the Browns are stuck in quarterback purgatory.
Probably, rolling with Watson will be their best bet, or maybe trying to find a short-term solution like a one-year rental for Mac Jones.
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