Analyst Proposes Risky Route to Franchise QB for Browns

The Cleveland Browns are being urged to take a risky avenue to find their franchise quarterback.

Dec 10, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski watches his team warm up before the game between the Browns and the Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns may have just tipped their hand in the 2025 NFL Draft, as they opted to bring Joe Flacco back on a one-year deal.

This doesn't necessarily rule out the idea of a quarterback for the Browns later this month, but with Cleveland adding both Flacco and Kenny Pickett this offseason, it seems like the Browns may be willing to head into next year with what they currently have.

So, what exactly is Cleveland planning on doing about the future under center, then? Well, Ryan Heckman of Dawg Pound Daily feels that the Browns may be aiming to solve their issue at quarterback in 2026.

"Instead, build upon the best talent available at other positions and go into 2026 knowing you'll have a much better shot at a franchise quarterback," Heckman wrote. "2025 might be another tough season, but there is now light at the end of the tunnel -- especially if Cleveland is able to pair Abdul Carter with Myles Garrett."

We already know that Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning is viewed as the early prize of the 2026 NFL Draft class. But you're taking a pretty huge risk by assuming that the Browns will be bad enough to finish with a top draft pick again next April.

Will Cleveland be a bad team in 2025? Probably. At the very least, the Browns will likely be the worst club in the AFC North, and they don't even resemble playoff contenders. However, will they be as atrocious they were this past season where they won just three games? Because that's probably what it's going to take to have a shot at Manning.

Cleveland has the opportunity to potentially land a franchise quarterback in Shedeur Sanders in a couple of weeks, but the Browns don't appear to be all that interested in following that route, and that's treacherous, to say the least.

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