Carson Wentz Trade Closes Book On Browns Quarterback Paths Not Chosen
The Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to a trade to send quarterback Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts, which puts an end to one of the more prevalent scenarios the Cleveland Browns could have chosen before ultimately selecting a quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft.
In the deal, the Colts send a third round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and a conditional pick in 2022. It starts out as a second round pick, but if Wentz plays 75 percent of the offensive snaps or 70 percent of the offensive snaps and the Colts make the playoffs, it becomes a first round pick.
The Colts reunite Wentz with Frank Reich, the coach whom he has experienced the most success in his career. The Eagles move off of an enormous contract and get to rebuilding their team quicker.
Wentz was part of a Super Bowl winning team, so the Eagles are thrilled with what they got from Wentz, even if they are now getting rid of him.
The issue is that in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Browns traded down from second pick to eighth pick, then moved down again to the 15th pick in the draft. They bypassed Wentz to add a pile of draft assets, which were not maximized in terms of results, but ultimately enabled them to add players including Denzel Ward and Odell Beckham. Many missed opportunities, but currently, Ward alone is basically as valuable as Wentz.
Moreover, the decision not to take Wentz is what led the Browns to be in position to take Baker Mayfield. On that front, the decision the Browns made was the right one. They selected Myles Garrett in the 2017 NFL Draft and have a quarterback that led them to a playoff victory in Pittsburgh this past season in Baker Mayfield.
For my part, I thought Wentz was a franchise caliber quarterback and up until the Browns traded down, I thought he would be the pick. However, when the Browns started compiling picks, I thought it was easy to get on board with their thought process, building a team devoid of talent before making a huge investment at quarterback. Waiting would allow the Browns to maximize the rookie contract, which is exactly where they are now.
The Browns wouldn't have won the Super Bowl the way the Eagles did as their roster was awful in 2016, so if Wentz's career arc followed a similar path, the Browns would have gotten nothing but a glimpse of what might have been with Wentz before he fell apart, not unlike Tim Couch.
The Browns would then consider the possibility of trading for then New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Bidding against nothing, some in the media suggested that the Browns should give up a second round pick or two before becoming the 12th pick in the draft to get his services. At one point, even trading the first overall pick was put on the table.
The 49ers made the deal for Garoppolo for a second round pick. He was the quarterback of the team that went to the Super Bowl, but it was clear the team carried him to get there and couldn't rely on him to make plays. When he's not underwhelming on the field, it's because he's dealing with an injury off of it.
Another bullet dodged, the Browns selected Mayfield with the first pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. There are still those who argue that the Browns would've been better off selecting Josh Allen as well as Lamar Jackson.
There's a case to be made that both of those quarterbacks would've failed in Cleveland due to what had been two seasons of organizational incompetence. It was borderline miraculous that Mayfield wasn't sunk in the process.
The Browns have been proven right in passing on Wentz as well as Garoppolo as much as many fans and media hated it at the time. They are still in the process of arguing that Mayfield was the right pick and after the last 12 games of last season, they have to feel pretty good.
