Browns Competing With Steelers for Franchise Quarterback Again This NFL Draft Cycle

The Cleveland Browns could find themselves competing with the Pittsburgh Steelers for a third time this season.

This offseason, the Browns are continuing to do work on their quarterback situation. At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Browns general manager Andrew Berry said the team is open to investing another draft pick into the quarterback position despite selecting both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders last year.

Berry and new Browns head coach Todd Monken sound open to the idea of Sanders competing with Deshaun Watson to be the team’s quarterback. However, the Browns have still continued to meet with top QB draft prospects that could be available to them in April.

The issue? The Steelers are meeting with a lot of those same quarterback prospects despite selecting Ohio State national championship quarterback Will Howard in the sixth-round last season.

Browns and Steelers both in on Ty Simpson

The Browns and Steelers have both met with Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, who is widely expected to be the second quarterback drafted after the Las Vegas Raiders select Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall. The Steelers have the No. 21 overall selection. The Browns sit behind them at No. 24 overall, which is their bonus first-round pick behind No. 6 overall.

That could be the sweet spot for Simpson, who has a relationship with Monken.

The 60-year-old first-year Browns head coach tried recruiting the former Alabama quarterback to Georgia during his time there as an offensive coordinator. Both Monken and Simpson have exchanged pleasantries publicly throughout the pre-draft process and the Browns hosted the 23-year-old in Berea on a top 30 visit.

Speaking of Monken’s relationships, the Browns and Steelers have also both met with Carson Beck, who was the quarterback at Georgia before transferring to Miami.

If the Browns want another mid-round flier, Monken’s pre-existing relationship with Beck could give him a leg up – but the Steelers will add competition to land him.

Steelers also met with Cleveland's hometown hero

Similarly, former Medina High School quarterback Drew Allar has met with the Browns and Steelers. Allar grew up a diehard Cleveland sports fan. Out of high school, he was expected to be a game-changing quarterback for the Nittany Lions. That didn’t materialize. Now, he’s expected to be a mid-round draft pick.

The Steelers have yet to work out an agreement with free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who sounds like he’d be open to returning to Pittsburgh. The Browns feel likely to roll with Sanders, especially since they’re expected to finally cut Watson after the season.

Last year, the Steelers did work on Sanders. Some had expected them to select the polarizing Colorado quarterback at the end of the first-round. Inversely, many Browns fans hoped they’d walk out of the NFL Draft with Howard, who ended up in Pittsburgh after Cleveland selected two different quarterbacks.

But these two rivaling organizations are going to find themselves competing for a true franchise quarterback until somebody gets off of the carousel first.