Justin Fields #7 of the New York Jets greets Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns
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Justin Fields #7 of the New York Jets greets Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns
Depressing though it might sound for fans of the Cleveland Browns, but The Athletic outlined the likeliest scenarios for the NFL’s quarterback carousel this offseason, and there were some interesting results, like Tua Tagovailoa in Atlanta and Mac Jones replacing him in Miami. There’s also Malik Willis going to Arizona as a replacement for Kyler Murray, who goes to the New York Jets where he replaces the disastrous Justin Fields, who goes to … yup, the Browns.
Now, granted, this is only an exercise, and the product of guesswork. But it’s educated guesswork and considering the Browns’ likely path to a 2026 starter–they’re probably not going to draft one, they probably are not going to fork over the necessary money to sign Willis, and they’re not looking to trade for one–Fields would certainly be a consideration.
Fields was the No. 11 pick int he 2021 NFL draft out of Ohio State for the Bears, and though he is among the best running quarterbacks in the league, he just never got the hang of throwing the ball. Field was 10-28 in three years as starter in Chicago, then 4-2 in one year with the Steelers.
Last year was to be his bounce-back showcase season, but instead, he went 2-7 as the starter and has been run out of New York.
Browns Add Justin Fields to QB Competition
Does he make sense with the Browns, though? As a dirt-cheap signing he would, because the Browns are lacking the cap space to make a major move for just about anyone else. The Browns are also said to have an interest in Anthony Richardson, the former No. 4 pick of the Colts, but The Athletic projects him to go to Minnesota in an attempt to Darnold-up his career.
So the Browns QB room is projected to be: Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson, Dillon Gabriel, Justin Fields.
The author of the piece, Zack Rosenblatt, writes of the situation, “A free-for-all! It feels like the Browns are headed this way, a room filled with three returning options in Sanders, Watson and Gabriel — plus another one (or two) added to the room for good measure and good (is that the right word?) competition.”
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson faces a final chance to get his career on track.
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson
Justin Fields Is Not Lamar Jackson
It would surprise no one if the Browns came back into training camp with Sanders and Watson in training camp, and will probably keep Gabriel around for good measure, perhaps trading him during camp if a team suffers a QB injury. Fields, though, would be a surprise.
Rosenblatt suggests that new coach Todd Monken’s history with Lamar Jackson (who, many forget, is a good passer) would make sense with Fields (who is not).
He writes: “By the end of the season, Fields seemed scared to throw the ball and struggled to work through his progressions. But there is talent — and his mobility is undoubtedly a weapon, something that few are better at weaponizing than Monken. Fields won’t cost much at this point and, as an added bonus, he’s a beloved figure in Ohio thanks to his time as a Buckeye.”
Browns Looking for Leadership
It’s doubtful that Browns fans will give that much leeway to a bottom-tier quarterback simply because he was a Buckeyes star.
Browns new offensive coordinator outlined one of the major traits the team is looking for in its next quarterback, and it’s hard to see it coming from a guy with a career 16-37 record and 153 yards per game, as Fields has.
Said Switzer: “He’s got to be an elite leader and decision-maker. That’s kind of where it starts. Somebody said this, it might have been Marino, he said, as a quarterback, you’ve got to be able to throw four picks in the first quarter and step into the huddle in the second half and look your guys in the eye and they still believe you can go win the game for them. That’s one of those things you’ve got to have. I don’t know if you can coach that.”