4 Reasons Browns Should Stay Away From Brendan Sorsby

As the debate on who should be the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback for the 2026 regular season rages on, another name has been thrown into the mix as a potential candidate, although the hurdles that must be cleared in order for him to get to Berea are significant.

Brendan Sorsby, the Texas Tech quarterback who previously played for Indiana and Cincinnati has been suggested as a Supplemental Draft pick for the Browns, in case the NCAA terminates his eligibility after a gambling scandal broke out revealing that Sorsby placed thousands of bets through an online app, including some on his own team.

Sorsby is currently fighting to maintain his college eligibility after checking in to a residential treatment program for gambling addictions, while also fighting off a lawsuit brought on by the University of Cincinnati alleging breach of a NIL deal with the Bearcats.

Now, a few league observers such as Todd McShay have proposed that, should Sorsby end up applying for the Supplemental Draft --which carries a June 30 deadline --, Cleveland invest in the passer, even if it takes a first-round pick to land him.

Here are four reasons why the Browns should not entertain the idea of adding Sorsby to their quarterback room for the 2026 regular season via the Supplemental Draft.

The Culture

This one’s easy: Cleveland isn’t exactly the capital of team culture within the NFL. From one of the team’s current quarterbacks being the target of over two dozen lawsuits alleging sexual assault allegations, to owner Jimmy Haslam’s multiple legal issues, the Browns haven’t been a team with a strong culture over the years... and that’s not even mentioning the Johnny Manziel saga.

Sorsby will likely be offered a ton of resources whenever he decides to make the jump to the next level, but this isn’t the kind of player Cleveland needs right now. The Browns need team-first guys who come in with as little baggage as possible.

The Overcrowded Room

The current group of quarterbacks in Cleveland consists of a veteran described as a “swing and a miss” by ownership after arriving via one of the worst trades in the history of the league, with the team still on the hook for a small fortune on his misguided deal; and three draft picks made over the last two drafts.

Cleveland’s hands are already full in trying to develop Shedeur Sanders as a viable long-term starter, plus figuring out what to do with Dillon Gabriel, last year’s third-rounder, and Tayler Green, this year’s sixth-rounder; in addition to knocking off the rust on Deshaun Watson after over a year and a half of not playing due to two Achilles’ tears, as he enters his final year under contract.

No need to dilute the reps among them even more -- especially Sanders -- by adding another arm to this room right now.

The Cost

McShay is adamant that the Browns should do anything in their power to acquire Sorsby, including paying a first-rounder via Supplemental Draft. While seeing the Browns waste high draft picks on quarterbacks seems to be the norm for this team (see Watson, Manziel, Gabriel, DeShone Kizer, Brady Quinn, Brandon Weeden, Charlie Frye, Colt McCoy, Cody Kessler), it’s time to stop.

Cleveland needs to find out what they have in their current group, again, focusing on Sanders, before taking another step in the quarterback discussion. There’s a chance Sanders isn’t the long-term answer, and Watson will likely be off the team at the end of the regular season. Gabriel could be dealt or cut earlier than that. But adding a guy like Sorsby just muddies the water for the team unnecessarily, and a first-rounder is way too expensive for a team seemingly on a roll when it comes to drafting non-QBs.

The 2027 Draft Class

Maybe the Browns are headed towards the top of the picking order for next year’s draft, despite the Watson-Sanders open competition instituted by new head coach Todd Monken. Good, let things sort themselves out. Then, look at the passers that will be available.

Arch Manning, Dante Moore, LaNorris Sellers seem to be the marquee names, but we should also consider Trinidad Chambliss, Drew Mestemaker, Julian Sayin, Jayden Maiava, Darian Mensah and C.J. Carr as intriguing prospects

The 2027 NFL Draft is almost 12 months away. That’s plenty of time to be thorough on analysis and evaluation for the game’s top passers, without having to risk so much today on a prospect who likely wouldn’t top next year’s group.

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