To the surprise of absolutely no one, quarterback Robert Griffin III is no longer a Cleveland Brown, his contract having been terminated on Friday after a lackluster, injury-riddled 2016 season.
To the surprise of absolutely everyone, quarterback Brock Osweiler is now a Cleveland Brown, having been acquired in a shocking trade with the Houston Texans on Thursday.
And to the surprise of perhaps some, but not to others, the Browns’ best option at quarterback – right now at least – just may be none other than Cody Kessler.
That’s the state of the Browns’ fluid quarterback situation as the second day overall – and first full day – of free agency comes to a close.
Yes, there are other things going on with the Browns at this time. Their offensive line, which has been woeful for a long while, especially last season, looks a lot better with the free-agent signings of guard Kevin Zeitler and center JC Tretter and the re-signing of guard Joel Bitonio. They also signed a veteran wide receiver in Kenny Britt while their own free-agent wideout, Terrelle Pryor, decided to take a one-year, prove-how-good-you-are contract from the Washington Redskins.
All that means something. It certainly means something. Those are integral parts of the team. If you can’t block, and/or if you can’t catch the ball in this pass-happy NFL, you can’t win. You just can’t.
The focus, however, continues to be on the quarterback situation. It is always on the quarterback situation with any NFL team, but especially the Browns, who have been looking for a franchise passer since mullets were in style.
As such, until they get this quarterback situation figured out – not just for a year or two, but for the long haul – the Browns are never going to get where they want to go.
We could all be wrong, but almost everybody – including me – doubts seriously that Kessler can be the answer. He deserves to get the chance, though, until the Browns find someone better. And right now, there is no one better – certainly not Osweiler, who, if the stars are all aligned in just the right way, will never play a down for the Browns.
The key, as everybody knows, is taking the second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft the Browns received in the Osweiler trade, and using it as part of the bait to dislodge Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots in a deal. It’s where this whole thing is riding right now.
It will make for an interesting – and oh-so-important — seven weeks leading up to the 2017 draft.
