The Cleveland Browns have been frequently linked to Arch Manning.
Getty
The Cleveland Browns have been frequently linked to Arch Manning.
The Cleveland Browns‘ proposed rule change has fueled fears that the team is gearing up for a big quarterback move.
The team formally submitted a proposal ahead of the NFL’s Annual League Meeting later this month to extend the time frame for trading draft picks from three years to five.
The Browns’ rationale is that it would provide teams more flexibility, more creative trade structures, and a more active market. Any rule change requires 24 votes from the league’s 32 owners.
With the Browns proposing the change, speculation has already turned to how Cleveland would actually use it. The leading theory: packaging future first-round picks to land a franchise quarterback.
A name that keeps coming up is Arch Manning — the Texas Longhorns signal-caller who is widely expected to be a top pick when he declares for the NFL Draft. If the five-year window passes, the Browns would have more ammunition to make a run at him than they currently do.
Browns Rule-Change Not With Player in Mind: Report
Arch Manning is expected to be on the Browns radar.
GettyArch Manning is expected to be on the Browns radar.
Long-time Browns reporter Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland addressed the Manning speculation in a recent Q&A column. Grossi does not believe the Browns are doing it with a particular player — specifically Manning — in mind.
“I’ve been told the Browns’ proposal has nothing to do with any Browns’ future acquisition in mind,” Grossi said. “But I agree, it’s impossible not to draw the conclusion that it was concocted as part of an elaborate attempt to go all out to acquire Manning.”
However, Grossi did add that he doesn’t want the Browns to be given the opportunity to give up a massive haul to solve their quarterback issues.
“I would hope the proposal gets shot down to save the Browns from yet another monumental blunder,” Grossi said.
Still fresh in the minds of Browns supporters is the team’s disastrous 2022 trade for Deshaun Watson, a move that cost Cleveland three first-round picks and a fully guaranteed $230 million contract. The Browns are still paying the consequences of that deal, which owner Jimmy Haslam has dubbed a “big swing and miss.”
Browns Likely to Roll With Current QB Group Next Season
The Browns are expected to roll with their current quarterback group, including Shedeur Sanders, next season.
GettyThe Browns are expected to roll with their current quarterback group, including Shedeur Sanders, next season.
The Browns are unlikely to make a big quarterback slash as they prepare for next season. Cleveland has Dillon Gabriel, Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders under contract.
The Cleveland Browns bypassed the quarterback position in free agency and appear unlikely to land a true franchise passer in this year’s draft. It’s a thin class, headlined by Fernando Mendoza, with little consensus or certainty beyond the top name.
Now under new head coach Todd Monken, the Browns are taking a fresh approach to the position, treating the quarterback room as a clean slate as they evaluate their options moving forward.
“Sure, I think it’s an open competition,” Monken said. “I mean, I don’t why it wouldn’t be an open competition. I don’t mean that saying it harshly, but I don’t think there’s enough on film over the last couple years one way or the other to say, boy, we have our starter at quarterback yet. Whether internally or externally.”
The Browns hold 10 overall picks in the NFL Draft, including two first-rounders (No. 6 and 24).