The Cleveland Browns find themselves in an interesting position heading into the 2025 NFL Draft. Despite a desperate need for a new quarterback, their slot at the second overall pick limits their chances of selecting their ideal candidate. Instead, they may have to settle for whoever the Tennessee Titans don’t choose.
However, rather than solely relying on that chance, the team is making a focused effort to build out a solid roster. Myles Garrett is already secured on a monstrous deal, but the offense still requires some adjustments. One NFL analyst believes that Cleveland’s plans are coming together as the draft approaches.
Cleveland Browns Thinking Outside the Box?
Thanks to 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, the Browns’ defense is consistently excellent. In previous years, they’ve proven capable of sustaining a playoff push when paired with even mediocre quarterback play.
Well, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated believes they might double down on that mentality, at least in the short term. And his evidence is in the way the team’s front office has allocated personnel to scout potential draft picks.
“Last Thursday night, owner Jimmy Haslam, executive vice president JW Johnson and GM Andrew Berry were in State College, having dinner with Carter. Presumably, that would be a dinner you’d want the head coach to attend.
But, two-time Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski wasn’t there. “Instead, Kevin Stefanski was in Oxford, Miss., in anticipation of Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart’s Pro Day Friday morning.” And those two decisions make Breer believe in the direction of the Browns.
“Dart would be a better bet to be the Browns’ second-round pick than anyone’s top-10 pick. This is where you can see the idea crystallizing: Cleveland could take arguably the draft’s best player, Carter, and then double back at quarterback later.”
However, he doesn’t believe the team will stop there. Instead, Kirk Cousins, who according to owner Arthur Blank is going to be the backup QB in Atlanta, could be on Cleveland’s radar.
“Now, if that’s the strategy, would the Browns be done? I don’t think so,” Breer added.
“I could see a world where the Browns work a trade with the Atlanta Falcons, take Carter on April 24, then push the trade for Cousins through on April 25 (so Cousins knows he won’t get Penix-ed again), and consider taking a quarterback of the future later that night.”
Last season was nowhere near peak performance from Kirk Cousins. His numbers were down across the board, and he had a four-week stretch where he did not tally a single touchdown, while giving up eight interceptions, finishing the year ranked 24th on PFSN’s QB+ metric.
However, compared to Deshaun Watson (last), the play from Cousins would be a sizeable improvement. And as mentioned before, pairing improved QB play with an elite defense that could also add Carter to the mix, could be a recipe for success.
“And, for what it’s worth, I’d applaud them for doing it.”