Entering this season, the Cleveland Browns had hopes of a second consecutive playoff appearance as their roster looked primed to make a deep postseason push.
Those hopes were soon replaced with despair as the Browns won only three games in 2024, setting the franchise up with a high pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Cleveland’s situation looks more dire with quarterback Deshaun Watson’s contract continuing to eat up a significant portion of the team’s salary cap over the next two years, giving the team little flexibility to address their issues in the offseason.
Still, analyst Mike Mayock believes there’s reason for optimism in Cleveland.
On the “Afternoon Drive” radio program Friday, Mayock laid out a best-case scenario for the team as it prepares for the final game of this campaign.
“The best-case scenario if you’re a Browns fan is you get a quarterback you fall in love with in the draft. And if you lose the game this week, worst-case you’ve got the third pick in the draft,” Mayock said.
"A college QB, given the salary cap situation and everything else, is a logical place I think you'd like to land heading into next year." @MikeMayock on @afternoon923FAN on #Browns situation entering Week 18, outlook with a top draft pick
🔊Full audio: https://t.co/SQYtCmjOYM pic.twitter.com/xciSthC3jd
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) January 3, 2025
Cleveland has the potential to climb to the top overall pick with wins by the New England Patriots and the Tennessee Titans in Week 18.
Selecting a new quarterback in the draft would give Cleveland’s fanbase a renewed hope that the Browns can be competitive next season, Mayock noted.
“A college quarterback, given the salary cap situation and everything else, is a logical place I think you’d like to land heading into next year,” Mayock said.
The analysts added that the draft class of quarterbacks is not as deep as the 2024 class was, suggesting the Browns need a high draft pick to make this scenario come to life.
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