CLEVELAND, Ohio — The buzz around Malik Willis potentially becoming the next Browns quarterback is growing louder with free agency just a month away. On the latest Orange and Brown Talk podcast, Browns beat reporters Mary Kay Cabot and Ashley Bastock and host Dan Labbe dive into why the former Liberty standout could be the high-risk, high-reward quarterback option the team needs — and whether his skillset perfectly aligns with new head coach Todd Monken’s preferences.
Willis, who most recently served as a backup with the Green Bay Packers, has been generating increasing interest across the league. ESPN’s Benjamin Solak even suggested the Browns would be a fit for the mobile quarterback. But would Cleveland actually make a play for him?
Cabot believes they absolutely should consider it, pointing to Willis’ dual-threat abilities as a perfect match for Monken’s system: “I certainly would be tossing my hat into the ring for Malik Willis because we know that Todd Monken likes a dual threat quarterback, and Malik Willis fits the bill,” Cabot said on the podcast. “He’s someone very much like Lamar Jackson. He’s in that mold. Not at that level, but in that mold. And so you know that Todd Monken would do a really nice job on coaching Malik Willis.”
While the quarterback’s skillset seems tailor-made for what Monken wants to do offensively, the podcast hosts acknowledged that Willis remains largely unproven at the NFL level, with a very limited sample size.
“I’m just a little surprised at how quickly people are just jumping to this conclusion that he’s going to be like a guy if he gets that opportunity because there just isn’t a very big sample size,” Labbe cautioned. “He’s had two games in his whole career where he’s thrown more than 20 passes and eight games in his career where he’s thrown more than 10 passes. So there is risk in bringing in Malik Willis.”
The financial implications could also be significant. Willis might command a substantial contract similar to the two-year, $40 million deal with $30 million guaranteed that Justin Fields received from the Jets last offseason. That level of investment would effectively mean the Browns are committing to Willis as their starter, at least for the short term.
Bastock highlighted another obstacle: market competition. “In a year where there’s just not going to be a lot of these guys available, the financial part of this, I think is going to be significant because there’s teams that are just going to be in a better position to pay him better, and teams that really need somebody maybe a bit more than the Browns do,” Bastock explained.
Cabot also revealed she’s heard the Miami Dolphins could have the inside track to land Willis, further complicating the Browns’ potential pursuit.
For Cleveland, acquiring Willis would mean making a clear statement about their quarterback room, potentially sidelining both Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders. It represents a significant gamble on a player with tremendous upside but limited proven production.
The Browns have approximately one month to make their decision with free agency looming. With the NFL Combine approaching at the end of February, the quarterback picture will become clearer as the team’s front office, led by Andrew Berry, continues to evaluate all options both inside and outside the organization.
To hear the complete discussion about Willis and other quarterback options the Browns might consider this offseason, be sure to listen to the full episode of the Orange & Brown Talk podcast.
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