Browns Must Do Whatever It Takes To Trade Up For Right QB

The debate rages on over just how good the 2025 rookie quarterback class will be and whether or not the Cleveland Browns should be drafting one of them when they're on the clock with the second overall pick.

Questions over the viability of this year's signal callers are certainly valid. It's been a two-horse race between Colorado's Shedeur Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward for most of the offseason, and even those two prospects come with concerns.

That said, if there's one thing the NFL Combine revealed last week, it's that Cam Ward has separated himself from the rest of the class. He's undoubtedly the best QB in NFL circles. Now, it comes down to how willing teams at the top of the draft order are to draft him.

The Tennessee Titans hold all the leverage at the moment. They very well could just stay put and pull the trigger on Ward first overall. However, Tennessee finds itself in an abnormal situation where the general manager and head coach are on different timelines.

Entering year two, Brian Callahan theoretically is ready to find his quarterback of the future. But new GM Mike Borgonzi doesn't necessarily have to force the issue three months on the job.

That situation has raised plenty of questions about what the Titans will do with the first pick in the draft. Trading back seems very much in play and doing so would likely include a team looking to jump up and snag Ward as its franchise QB.

The Browns can't possibly stand by and let that happen.

If Cleveland identifies Ward as their quarterback of the future, they must be ready to do whatever it takes to trade up and get him at No. 1 overall.

We are tracking the Browns pre-draft/top 30 visits over the next month and a half. Keep up on all the prospects that will visit Cleveland with @CLEBrownsOnSI https://t.co/TsGPhZhvBD
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Even though the Browns have a long history of drafting in the top 10 pretty regularly since the team returned in 1999, there's no guarantee that they're in this position again next spring.

The reality is they're drafting No. 2 right now, in 2025 and have a unique opportunity in front of them to turn this franchise around in a hurry by selecting the right QB. They can't waste that if they think they've identified that guy.

Maybe they haven't, or maybe they won't. Again, there is resounding consensus that this is a down year at the quarterback position. There also seems to be a growing belief that next year's class is going to be loaded with potential franchise signal callers.

Should the Browns decide to do anything other than draft a quarterback at No. 2 or trade up for one, it will reveal the organization's true thoughts on this year's class. But if Ward is it, you don't wait around for 2026 and all the unknowns that come with it.

In truth, Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski may not even have that kind of time. That duo's tenure is stained by the fallout of the Deshaun Watson trade. Finding an out feels like the only way they can truly redeem themselves.

It took a big swing to get into this mess, and it will likely take a big swing to get out of it. If that comes in the form of trading up from two to one to land a franchise-saving, and potentially job-saving, QB, you do it.

Yes, that move will come at a premium. The Browns and Titans would swap firsts this year. Cleveland would likely have to include this year's second as well or the two third-rounders Cleveland owns. A future first or second may even end up as part of the package.

If it nets a franchise quarterback, it'll all be worth it – even if giving up such a massive haul of picks gives Browns fans PTSD following the Watson deal.

Now it's up to Berry and company to decide if Ward is worth it. Or if they're okay taking their chances with Sanders, a different QB, or waiting altogether and using their stockpile of picks to fill out other needs on the roster.

Fear, however, is not an excuse.

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