Things have been eerily quiet for the Cleveland Browns over the last few days. Russell Wilsonvisited Berea last week and is weighing his options as the entire league appears to be waiting for a decision between Aaron Rodgers and the Minnesota Vikings.
Kirk Cousins is no longer an option for what the Browns were probably hoping for, as a talented veteran on a minimum contract. Now, any team acquiring Cousins will likely need to do so via a trade and even if his contract was reworked, Cleveland would part with a draft pick and need to pay his salary.
Unless the Browns pull off a surprise trade or intend to pay Wilson a salary that will likely be in the $15-20m range, they have failed to acquire a credible starting-level QB prior to the draft.
The Browns may be hoping that Cam Ward is still there at number two in the draft but the Tennessee Titans have done a masterful job of driving up the price of the first pick by their actions in the first wave of free agency. They’ve spent heavily on the offensive line and failed to address their own quarterback need in a meaningful way.
This has led most prognosticators to declare that Ward will be the first pick to the Titans. It makes sense, but allow me to put my Lee Corso hat on and say “not so fast.”
The Titans rushing out to sign a starter would have driven the value of the pick down for a potential suitor. They need to appear that they are willing to take Ward unless they are presented with an offer they can’t refuse.
We must also acknowledge that the Tennessee situation is a little unique as they head into the draft. After their disappointing season under first-year head coach Brian Callahan, the ownership opted to fire the GM and keep the new coaching staff.
The Titans would go on to hire Mike Borgonzi as their new General Manager. He’d been part of the success of the Chiefs scouting department over the previous years.
Callahan is still very much on the hot seat and if things don’t go well, Borgonzi would then have an opportunity to hire his own coach. If you understand this, then it’s easy to see that the new GM is probably focused on nailing the pick to acquire the most talent overall for a roster who is more than a QB away from competing.
Perhaps, they are truly in love with Ward, but there is no argument that Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter are the better players overall and ranked higher on the draft board of teams. With Ward, you’d be betting on the upside and while he has a ton of talent, there are also concerns.
Tennessee will ultimately weigh whether they would rather have a player like Carter, extra draft picks, and perhaps a quarterback like Jaxson Dart or Tyler Shough versus a combo Ward at one overall and an edge like Donovan Ezeiruaku with their second pick.
Putting myself in Borgonzi’s shoes, I’d much rather have the extra picks and go with a safer pick at the top of the draft. This brings me back to Cleveland, and we can also insert the New York Giants in the conversation.
Both teams are in a very similar situation and the way things have played out, one of them needs to get to number one overall. It’s now down to who is willing to pay the price.
The Browns are in the better position for a major reason. They only need to move up one spot and it would guarantee the Titans the ability to draft their top player on the board.
It would likely cost the Browns a minimum of a package of day two picks to move up. Cleveland should ratchet the intensity up a notch to get it done.
Ward would give the fanbase and locker room a boost of fresh hope for the future more than any other player in the draft while solving your immediate starter need for Week One.
They could then turn their attention to the veteran market to bring in a mentor for Ward that could also push Kenny Pickett for the backup role. A name I’d love for this role would be Teddy Bridgewater if he intends to play another year.
He has an ability to coach and mentor young QBs and is quite familiar with Kevin Stefanski from their time in Minnesota.
Do you agree? Would you be willing to move up to number one for Cam Ward? Let us know in the comments below.