This article argues that the Browns should pursue a stepping stone QB for next season, like Rogers, Darnold, etc. Instead of drafting one because it’s a shorter investment.

What do you think the Browns should do QB wise, assuming Watson sits next year.

https://brownswire.usatoday.com/2024/12/30/browns-aaron-rodgers-possible-2025/

34 comments

  2. they should draft one and bring in a veteran bridge QB so the rookie can sit and learn and watson can be a tackling dummy

  4. No way Rogers comes to Cleveland. We already set ourselves back 3 years w/ DW. Our O line is done. Chubb isn’t Chubb. So pissed off

  5. Darnold is not a stepping stone QB. He’s either the guy you believe in or not. He’s 27 years old and is going to get a very nice contract. Only “short term” deal I could see him signing is to stay with Minnesota, but I don’t think that’ll happen either personally.

  7. Watson will sit. He will be able to practice like an entire year from his injury, that’s be week 8. Putting him in is suicide

  9. Pretty sure Rodgers is jets or retirement
    Darnold would be an option if he was cheap but he wont be
    Cousins is a no for me
    I think we should draft some mid round kid and trade up next year for someone. This class is pretty weak for 1st round QBs

  10. We’ve got like 3 years of Watson cap hit misery. Budget vet for those 3 years while we rebuild everything else, draft a rookie QB somewhere along the way. Preferably somewhere where they can sit for a year before starting.

    We have the 4th oldest team in the league. A rookie QB isn’t going to solve the variety of problems we have.

  11. By far the highest upside would be to sit Watson and start a rookie on a rookie contract. 

    I think Sanders is probably the top prospect in the class but I’m not a draft expert.

    That said, nobody who works for the Browns is a draft expert either so they should just take the consensus best QB, commit to him and let the chips fall where they may.

  12. Please not Rogers. I would get a bridge qb, rebuild the oline, tank again and hope for a better qb class next season. I don’t follow college but this class seems week.

  13. Yeah Darnold is not going anywhere. And he’s definitely not signing somewhere just to be a bridge. He just did that and now he’s the unquestioned starter

  14. Draft Campbell, collect draft capital, pick a QB next draft. I personally like Nussmeier’s skillset a lot more than Sanders or Ward.

  15. I say do BPA for the whole draft and bring in Fields. Not too expensive, potential upside, looked good early on this year.

  16. First off, there is no IF, Watson IS sitting, he won’t be healthy till midseason by the earliest, and why would we WANT to see him in brown & orange again anyway?

    Second, there is 0 chance Darnold is a F/A, and Rodgers is a shell of himself and in a similar boat in terms of playing ability to Watson now.

    If we don’t go and draft a QB (I don’t think we should), then there are other options like J.J McCarthy (maybe), Malik Willis, Sam Howell, or Justin Fields. Or if Kevin is feeling dangerous and thinks he can develop a QB in a bad situation like Will Levis, (god forbid) Kenny Pickett, or maybe even Brice Young (if they move on from him). Until this year, we were talking about Kevin being able to make any QB work, I think if we don’t go for a rookie, we are signing a QB who has growing room or was never really given a chance where he was. I don’t want another stop gap, I want a QB who can be the future.

  17. Draft Cam Ward, re-sign Jameis and start him for a few weeks and play Cam when he’s ready. Or let Jameis walk and bring in Mariota or Brissett and start Ward week 1 and have a solid mentor backup. Watson really shouldn’t be in the picture outside of his contract situation in my opinion, which is why you need a rookie on a rookie contract that can overperform their contract.

  18. Re-sign Jameis. Options are going to be pretty limited with potential QBs knowing once Watson decides he’s ready he’s starting again.

  23. I think an interesting plan of action would be to resign Winston, take a cheap flyer on Mac Jones, and draft Milroe late in the 1st/early second.

  26. The Browns will **NOT** be in the Darnold running as we won’t be able to afford him. He’s likely returning to the Vikings OR he’ll be getting a huge $30-$35 million per season purse from someone, but it won’t be Cleveland.

    In an ideal situation we draft Cam Ward at #3 and let him sit behind a veteran bridge QB such as Kirk Cousins for as long as possible to watch and learn. Maybe we find lightening in a bottle with Kirk and maybe we don’t. At least with Cam Ward we’ll have a plan and a future in place, and we won’t be stuck in purgatory like we are now.

  27. This team has too many holes and these QB’s in the draft are too iffy to take one with the first pick.

  28. My opinion, we should look to go back to the Stefanski offense next year. Watching the offensive highlights between this year and last, our offense looks infinitely better.

    Assuming that’s the case, we should look to get the best QB who can execute the offense for next year while getting a rookie to sit for 25 and start in 26. Short term answers are either Cousins or Flacco. Wouldn’t mind Wentz either but it’s not ideal.

    As for a young QB, idk much about Ward or Sanders so jury is out for the moment. I have heard Beck fits the mold of a Stefanski QB, so if that’s the route, then take BPA or trade down at 3 then take Beck in R2

  29. Darnold is likely going to cost over 100 million and isn’t a stepping stone. You make think he’ll fall flat or be average, but someone is going to pay him over 100 million to start

  30. Get a bridge/keep Winston. Draft linemen only. Hold out/try and get manning next year. No QBs worth drafting high in this draft

  31. QB desperation around the league is hyping Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders up way more than they actually have the right to be, at least in my view.

    While yes, the Browns are one of those QB desperate teams I really don’t think desperation picking is how you make a winning football team.

    We could trade down and get another high second round pick to go along with ours. There will be prime talent at positions we need still available there. Maybe someone like Milroe if we really want a QB.

  32. Ideally we get Cousins and he is the bridge to whoever they draft. I am not a fan of Ward after the bowl game and Sanders will never come here. I think we maybe end up with Quinn Ewers if he turns down that $6mil to go in the portal.

  33. We sign Joe from down the street and practice him up all summer. He can’t be worse than what we saw this year.

  34. Honestly a year of Jameis or Flacco would at least be entertaining and possibly even fun at times. Cousins doesn’t excite me but one year wouldn’t be that bad. Rodgers would just be an embarrassing disaster again. Jones has some surprising running ability but he just flat-out sucks. Darnold would be solid but I doubt we can get him.

    This year’s QB draft class looks awful, to be honest. We need to stay away and draft a guy next year. We need to focus on building a solid team with a top 10 o-line and not making desperate moves that set us up for failure…like the Watson trade.

Leave a Reply