Now that we know Johnny Manziel does not fit into the Cleveland Browns quarterback plans following his latest incident, it seems pretty likely that the team will be checking in on potential starters once the new league year comes calling in March.
With both the free agent and trade markets barren, there’s also a chance that Cleveland will have to go to hit the draft for a quarterback.
Here is an early look at the options Cleveland will have once it does indeed target that unnamed quarterback.
Josh McCown
McCown would be a cheap alternative to a high-priced veteran addition or a high-round draft pick.
The 36-year-old quarterback played pretty well when he was actually on the field for Cleveland this past season.
He posted a 63.7 completion percentage for over 2,100 yards with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions in eight starts. Unfortunately for the Browns, McCown was 1-7 in those eight starts.
Set to make just north of $5 million with a dead cap hit of $2.3 million, McCown will definitely be on the roster next season. At the very least, he will be used as a backup or someone that could compete for a starting job under new head coach Hue Jackson.
Free agent market
As has been the case over the past several years, the free agent market for quarterbacks is going to be incredibly thin when March comes calling.
Kirk Cousins has to be considered the top potential option here. Though, that’s going to be very short lived. At the least, it’s expected that Washington will hand Cousins the franchise tag, especially after the season he had in 2015.
Outside of that, Sam Bradford seems like a viable option for Cleveland. While he struggled with consistency under Chip Kelly in Philadelphia last season, Bradford did complete 65 percent of his passes and averaged 266.1 passing yards per game.
The major issue with Bradford is that he’s not exactly going to come cheap with the cupboard bare at quarterback. Does Cleveland really want to exhaust $15-plus million per year on a player with limited upside?
As mentioned above, the market is slim here. If you think Cousins and Bradford offer some question marks, just think about the likes of Ryan Fitzpatrick (who is expected to re-sign with the New York Jets) and Matt Hasselbeck. Talk about going with retreads that possess very little upside.
One real option, and this is dependent on what the Denver Broncos decide to do, is Brock Osweiler.
He doesn’t necessarily have a proven track record on a NFL field, but the former second-round pick looked darn good in limited playing time for the Broncos in the second half of the 2015 season.
Osweiler would offer that happy medium. He’s already more polished than any rookie quarterback that would come in. He also wouldn’t cost the team a high draft pick or a ton of cash for a low-upside free agent option.
There is, however, one drawback from actually being able to target Osweiler when March comes calling.
That comes in the form of Peyton Manning, who may decide to call it quits after the Super Bowl. If so, Denver’s first priority becomes retaining Osweiler, likely before the start of free agency.
Trade market
This aspect of the veteran market could be more robust than free agency. Depending on what happens with Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III, both could find themselves on the trade market. Heck, both could reasonably be on the open market by the time March comes calling.
Looking at the dynamics between the two, it is known that Hue Jackson wanted the Oakland Raiders to select Kaepernick when he was the Oakland Raiders head coach in 2011.
With the history as it is, and based on our lack of knowledge relating to San Francisco’s plans with Kaepernick, this could become a real option for Cleveland should it decide to go in that direction.
The primary issue with either Washington or San Francisco finding a market for their enigmatic quarterbacks is money. Kaepernick is due $15.9 million next season with all but $7.4 million of that being guaranteed for injury only.
Meanwhile, Griffin III is owed $16.2 million next season (with zero guaranteed), a sum that Washington would find itself free of should it release him.
With those two contracts formed like they are, it would make little sense for Cleveland to trade for either quarterback. Rather, the team might want to wait and see whether Kaepernick or RGIII are released.
Outside of these two embattled quarterbacks, there are a few other potential options on the trade market.
Zach Mettenberger, Geno Smith, Mark Sanchez and Mike Glennon could all find themselves up for sale by the time the new league year comes calling.
Draft
This seems like the most logical route for Cleveland to go. While there isn’t that one truly elite franchise quarterback (Andrew Luck, Cam Newton) in this draft, there are a ton of high-upside potential first-round picks.
The likes of Jared Goff, Carson Wentz and Paxton Lynch could all go in the top 10 when all is said and done. Picking at No. 2 overall with the Tennessee Titans boasting the top selection, Cleveland will have its pick of the litter here.
Personally, this one scribe thinks Goff would be the better fit in Cleveland’s pro-style system under Hue Jackson. However, buzz coming out of the Senior Bowl suggests the Browns are high on Wentz.
While more than capable of providing Cleveland with the necessary upside that comes with being selected in the top five, both Wentz and Lynch have the bust factor embedded within their games.
That’s not something Cleveland can risk with its lack of success drafting for this position the past two-plus decades.
Either way, selecting a quarterback at No. 2 overall would be a huge risk for a franchise that has fallen flat on its face in the draft in recent seasons.
This leads me to believe the Browns might look to go the less risky route in their first offseason under a completely different regime.