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Ty Simpson #15 of the Alabama Crimson Tide could be a Cleveland Browns target at No. 6 in the NFL draft.
Without doing much of anything, the Cleveland Browns have managed in recent weeks to cast more doubt and suspicion on their plans at quarterback in 2026–and going forward–where Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson are expected to be the primary competitors for a job that has been among the hardest to fill in the recent history of the NFL. So why not add another candidate to the mix: incoming Alabama prospect Ty Simpson?
That’s the notion from longtime Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, who has been covering the team for three-and-a-half decades and has seen Kosar, Kizer and Kessler right alongside McCown, McCoy, Mayfield and Manziel. This is a franchise that has shown no ability to find quarterbacks, and maybe the Browns have not yet earned the right to stop looking for one.
And yet, that seems to be the approach for the Browns this offseason. Cleveland has Shedeur Sanders, who finished with some promise at 3-4 in the final seven games of the season, and he probably should win the QB1 job. Multiple reports, though, indicate that Deshaun Watson, and his twice-repaired Achilles tendon, is the leader for the job going into the spring program.
Browns Should Draft Ty Simpson at No. 6
The Browns appear to be fine with letting those two, plus Dillon Gabriel and a late-round draftee, fill out the quarterback room, but there’s plenty of evidence that group is simply not good enough. And in the NFL, maybe if you don’t have a quarterback, you should keep picking one until you do.
The Browns have the No. 6 pick in this year’s draft, and Cabot argues it should be used on Simpson.
“I have watched film now, and I’ve thought through it and I think I would actually take a chance on Ty Simpson at No. 6,” she told 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland. “I think I would do that because I’ve seen enough over the years where, if you’re not 100% sure about a player at another position, then why not take a chance on a quarterback? I said that in 2022 about Malik Willis. Take a chance on Malik Willis and see what you can develop him into.”
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Browns Could Use a QB on a Rookie Contract
Willis, of course, was picked by the Titans and developed into a starter by the Packers, who just saw him signed by the Dolphins on a $45 million contract. While few think Simpson is worthy of the No. 6 overall pick, quarterback just might be too important a position for the Browns to brush off year after year.
“That’s how I feel about the quarterbacks in Round 1,” Cabot said. “They don’t cost all that much money and if you happen to hit on one, then you can have a quarterback on a rookie contract that might turn into something for you.
“It’s a tough call, it’s definitely a tough call on him because there are plenty of question marks. But there are plenty of question marks about a lot of other guys you might take there, too.”
Ty Simpson ‘Is Gonna Need Some Time’
Now, assuming the competition remains Sanders vs. Watson, and assuming that Sanders should win that battle–Watson has not played since October 2024, after all–then it would be wrong to presume that drafting Simpson means Sanders is out for the Browns.
Sanders has some experience under his belt, and could yet build on it. Even with Simpson on the roster, he is probably not ready for the starting job–he has started only 15 games in college and needs development time. So Sanders would probably remain the starter.
But over the last few weeks, multiple analysts, including Dan Orlovsky and former GM Mike Tannenbaum of ESPN, have said that Simpson has shown himself to be a first-rounder. And the Browns can’t be passing up on first-round quarterbacks.
Said Cabot: “Ty is gonna need some time. Because he has started only 15 games. But I like a lot of what I see in those 15 games, from a decision standpoint, from an arm standpoint, from an agility standpoint. I probably would take him there.