Biggest Cleveland Browns Takeaways From the NFL Combine

NFL Combine week came with plenty of notable headlines for all 32 teams. The Cleveland Browns continue to be at the center of so many of them, between the Myles Garrett saga and owning the No. 2 overall pick in April's NFL Draft.

After spending the week in Indianapolis, Ind., hearing from general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski and listening to some of the top prospects sell themselves to NFL teams, here are my biggest Browns takeaways from the week.

1) Browns Appear to be Considering Both Top QBs

Cleveland's brass is giving nothing away when it comes to how they feel about the two top quarterbacks in the Draft, Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward. All questions about the two signal callers come with very vague answers

That could be a sign that they're not really wowed by either of them, so they're not going above and beyond to say they do. It may also just be strategic, keeping their cards close to the vest ahead of the draft.

Berry and Stefanski both re-emphasized "decision-making" as the trait they're prioritizing in their next QB. Since that was first mentioned by new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees earlier this offseason, everyone has tried to connect the dots to Sanders, who is the more polished quarterback of the two.

This week, though, both Berry and Stefanski gave credence to the idea that you need to be able to build your offense around any talented player in today/s NFL. Those are comments that would maybe point at taking Ward instead.

One thing that became very apparent during Combine week is that Ward has separated himself as the top QB in the class. There's a notable gap between him and Sanders now. Still, it sounds like both QBs are in the discussion for Cleveland, even potentially with the No. 2 overall pick.

2) Can't Possibly Draft Abdul Carter at No. 2

News of a stress reaction in Abdul Carter's foot made major waves at the NFL Combine this week. It broke on Wednesday night, and by Thursday morning, we had learned that doctors advised that he wouldn't need surgery...for now.

Future Hall of Famer Julio Jones is a good point of reference here. Like Carter, he was revealed to have a small fracture in his foot at the Combine, only he had the surgery and went on to have a great rookie year.

Two years later though in 2013, the screw they inserted exploded during the season and needed to be replaced. Jones went on to miss 11 games that year, and while the injury never became a major problem for him again, Jones' experience is not copy-paste.

Another wide receiver, Sammy Watkins, constantly dealt with foot issues after having a screw inserted in his foot in 2016. So there are good outcomes and bad ones to use as precedents.

For the Browns, though, even the fear of Carter needing the surgery at some point or the threat of lingering foot issues because of it should be enough to steer them away from drafting him at No. 2. It's simply a risk Cleveland can't afford to take in what is a very important draft.

3) A Wide Receiver at 2 Feels Odd

Berry made headlines this week when he revealed that the Browns view Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter as more of a receiver than a defensive back. Hunter, on the other hand, wants to play both positions 100% of the time.

There's reason to believe the Browns, like any team that drafts Hunter, would at least use him both ways in some capacity. Still, it's unlikely any team would let him do both roles full-time.

He'll be asked to specialize to some degree based on which team drafts him. For the Browns, that means he'd primarily be a wide receiver. It just seems hard to believe the Browns would use the No. 2 pick on a wide receiver.

It's a position of need, no doubt, but there are more pressing needs for Cleveland, quarterback being chief among them. Maybe the idea of Hunter becomes too good to pass up, but I have my doubts about pulling the trigger on a wide receiver second overall.

4) Browns Were Never Really Close On Stafford

The Matthew Stafford situation was the talk of the town in Indy for several days, before the veteran agreed to a restructured contract to stay in Los Angeles. Based on conversations with people closely informed on the situation, the Browns were never really deeply involved in pursuing the Super Bowl champion.

Cleveland may be desperate for a quarterback, but it also seemed unwilling to go overboard on a trade package for the 37-year-old QB. They did call, but there also didn't seem to be much interest from Stafford on coming to Northeast Ohio.

As was reported, the Giants and Raiders were most aggressively pursuing Stafford – two other teams desperate for a QB. Stafford's return to the Rams means both of those franchises are likely to explore trading up in the draft for one of the top rookie signal callers.

That could pave the way for the Browns to trade back if they want or potentially even jump to No. 1 themselves if they really love one of Sanders or Ward.

5) A Chubb Return Feels Very Uncertain...But I have hope!

Berry was also pretty candid when it came to Nick Chubb's future, admitting that he will hit free agency for the first time in his career. He did also mention that they'll have conversations with Chubb's reps, though.

There's just a different feeling to the Chubb situation this year than last year, when Berry made it clear they had no desire to see the four-time Pro Bowler leave town. I guess that's easier to say when Chubb was still under contract.

Still, there seems to be plenty of doubt around a Chubb return this offseason, as he'll go see what his value is on the open market. I still can't help but think that something gets worked out.

First of all, it's an easy win for the organization, which needs all the good PR it can get at the moment. Chubb has also said he wants to be in Cleveland. There's got to be a way to make it work, right? I say yes.

6) Where to go from here?

The Garrett saga took its latest turn during Combine week, as reports indicated Berry is ready to make the star pass rusher the highest-paid defensive player in the game.

One day later, though, came reports that Garrett doesn't want the money or an extension. This is solely about going to a contender, which he has pretty adamantly said the Browns are not.

This is an unprecedented situation. Usually, money solves these types of standoffs between a team and one of its star players. But if that's not the motivation, Garrett could make this thing really ugly.

How far he's willing to take it to get out of Cleveland remains to be seen. The way Berry and Stefanski talk about the situation, it sounds like they believe the two sides can get back on the same page. After Combine week, I'm not so sure it's possible