The Cleveland Browns introduced John Dorsey as their new general manager on Friday, and naturally there were questions about the quarterback position. Owner and defrauder of truckers Jimmy Haslam made it clear the team will emphasize the search for a quarterback this offseason.
“Let me say it this way: The Cleveland Browns are not going to be successful until we get a quarterback," Haslam said bluntly. "And, we obviously have DeShone and two other quarterbacks on the roster. We're going to look at free agency and the draft. As it was mentioned earlier, we have a substantial amount of capital. We're going to do whatever it takes to find the quarterback we need to be successful. That will be John's No. 1 priority. We're going to do whatever it takes to get a QB.”
The Browns currently have DeShone Kizer, Kevin Hogan, and Cody Kessler as their quarterbacks. Kizer has been jerked around regularly this season, moving into the starting lineup and getting benched with some kind of regularity. The Browns acquired Kizer in the second round of this year’s draft after one of several trades down.
Dorsey and Haslam did not say the Browns will spend the No. 1 overall pick on a quarterback, but with the high profile nature of this year’s quarterback class, it would be a surprise if they went another direction.
They could decide their current quarterbacks are the best option, but that seems the least likely of any decision. They could sign a notable name in free agency, but that would require convincing someone to come play for that dumpster fire of an organization. That leaves the draft, where a player has no say in where he goes unless he threatens to not play for the organization (see Eli Manning, John Elway).
It is not a shocking revelation to say the Browns probably spend the No. 1 overall pick on the quarterback position, but given that these are the Browns, it is worth a note.