With Deshaun Watson sidelined, the organization moved quickly to address depth concerns by bringing in veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett while adding promising rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel through the draft.
This aggressive roster building suggests Cleveland wants genuine competition at the position.
However, league insiders are already speculating about a different strategy entirely.
Some believe the Browns might consider tanking the upcoming season to position themselves for a premium quarterback prospect in future drafts.
ESPN’s Ben Solak included this scenario in his bold predictions for the season ahead.
“The first, collective swell of a fan base wanting to tank for the Arch Manning pick will come Oct. 5, when the Browns start 0-5. (Their early-season schedule is brutal.) Manning will have just beaten the Florida Gators on Oct. 4 in a dazzling four-touchdown performance. The rallying cry will be “The March to Arch,” or possibly “Planning for Manning,” Solak wrote.
Should he lead the Longhorns to a national championship next season, the NFL’s allure could become impossible to ignore.
For Cleveland to seriously pursue Manning, they would need to conclude that neither Sanders nor Gabriel represents their franchise solution.
Both rookies will have training camp opportunities to prove their worth, though managing a four-quarterback rotation hardly resembles a development strategy.
Sanders may have fallen to Day 3, but his college credentials remain impressive.
He entered the league as college football’s most accurate passer ever, while Gabriel brings his own skill set to the competition.
At some point, constant turnover must give way to player development.
The New England Patriots once chose to develop an unknown Tom Brady rather than chase the next big thing, and that decision reshaped NFL history entirely.
NEXT: Browns Rookie Named As Team's 'Most Dangerous Addition'
