How Dante Moore's return to Oregon complicates Browns quarterback search

The Cleveland Browns are a long way from a final decision on whom they will take in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft at the sixth overall position.

However, the pool of available prospects at one crucial position of need for the team has just shrunk notoriously.

Oregon Ducks’ quarterback Dante Moore has announced he will return to school for the 2026 season, forgoing the NFL Draft, where he was expected to be one of the first passers off the board.

Moore’s announcement comes on the last day for college players with remaining eligibility to declare for the NFL Draft, with the exception of those playing for the National Championship.

Among the teams that could have been potentially interested in Moore at the top of the first round order, besides the Browns, are the Las Vegas Raiders picking first, New York Jets in second and Arizona Cardinals in third, all selecting ahead of Cleveland.

News of Moore returning to school potentially leaves Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza as the unanimous favorite to go first overall to the Raiders -- like most mock drafts across the industry are projecting -- or to a team that can acquire that first slot in the order.

Other quarterback prospects that could potentially go in the first round include Alabama’s Ty Simpson and Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss. Simpson has already declined a number of offers from other schools to transfer, including Miami and Ole Miss, while Chambliss is still exploring legal avenues towards a sixth year of eligibility. The passer had already committed to coming back with the Rebels.

Meanwhile, Moore had been tabbed as a potential upset pick for the first overall selection ahead of Mendoza by a number of analysts, although a few others warned about him only starting 20 games at the college level to date. Now, he’ll have a chance to grow that number with another year at Eugene.

What Dante Moore’s decision to return to Oregon could mean for the Browns

While landing Mendoza or Moore seemed unlikely for the Browns before Moore’s announcement -- at least not without trading up in the draft order -- the reduced pool of top tier prospects at the quarterback position will likely impact the rest of their offseason plans.

If Chambliss gets another year of eligibility, there could be an extended waiting period between Mendoza and Simpson getting drafted, and whomever becomes the third passer off the board. And with fewer top prospects to choose from in the draft, the Browns will have to study the free agent market more thoroughly, no matter how unlikely taking that route seems.

Scarcity means prices go up, and Moore’s decision to bow out of the 2026 NFL campaign is not only good news for Simpson, but for the veteran free agent passers on the market, as there will be one other team looking for an immediate answer at the quarterback position.

Could Deshaun Watson also benefit from Moore’s decision? Why not? A team that could seemingly see Simpson rise out of reach, and not completely convinced by the veteran free agents options could settle for Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and Watson as their quarterback room, with a good chance Watson ends up as Sanders’ backup ahead of Gabriel on the depth chart.

That would put him an injury or bad performance away from slinging passes, once again, for Cleveland. How’s that for a domino effect?

For now, the first order of business in Cleveland remains finding a new head coach, but the quarterback landscape has no doubt been altered by Moore's announcement.