Dumping on the Cleveland Browns really has become a national pastime. After all, we’re talking about a team that has employed six general managers and six head coaches in the last nine years, a team that has drafted just one first-team All-Pro this century, a team that hasn’t won a playoff game since 1994 and a team that hasn’t even been to the postseason since 2002.
We’re talking about a team that drafted Johnny Manziel in the first round and Trent Richardson third overall, a team that has used a ridiculous 24 starting quarterbacks since 1999.
But laughing at the Browns has almost become stale, and it’s certainly tough not to feel sorry for sports fans in Cleveland, which is why it was nice to see Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles send the Browns franchise a fastball down the middle on Wednesday.
To the Browns’ credit — and I believe that based on the franchise’s reputation, this is worthy of credit — Cleveland swung at said fastball by accepting Philadelphia’s offer for the No. 2 overall pick, an offer that netted them a third-round pick, a fifth-round pick, a 2017 first-round pick and a 2018 second-round pick, while only costing them a conditional fourth-round pick and six spots atop the 2016 draft.
Six spots. From No. 2 to No. 8. In the grand scheme of the overrated crapshoot that is the NFL draft, that’s nothing. Oftentimes, that can be a blessing. Throw in that draft pick haul from Philly and the Browns had themselves an offer that couldn’t be refused.
The most wonderful thing about this move is it indicates the Browns have come to grips with the fact that they aren’t very smart, at least when it comes to identifying blue-chip quarterback prospects. And that’s not another Browns slight. That’s an NFL Draft slight. A lot of franchises still think they have a feel for which quarterbacks are going to pan out and which aren’t, and some might have a better read on prospects than others. But the reality is they’re all rolling dice.
The Eagles might believe that Carson Wentz — the quarterback they’re likely to pick in the No. 2 spot — is the answer to their quarterback woes. They might be convinced that a North Dakota State product nobody had heard of until January is going to become a star. But frankly, that’s a symptom of front-office hubris.
The reality is nobody really knows, which is why the Browns — surely tempted to go all in as part of an attempt to stop their own revolving door under center — took those draft picks and ran, sliding into the No. 8 spot, where they’ll be able to land a top-five prospect (if the draft’s top three quarterbacks go off the board in the top seven) or the draft’s third-rated pivot, Paxton Lynch.
The Browns must realize — and it saddens me that the Eagles and Los Angeles Rams apparently do not — that Lynch has just about as strong a chance of succeeding as Wentz and presumed top pick Jared Goff. Neither are considered to be can’t-miss quarterback prospects, and again, crapshoot, crapshoot, crapshoot.
The Browns don’t have to find their next quarterback in the top two. Fact is, whenever quarterbacks are taken 1-2, one of the two winds up being a bust. All-Pro quarterbacks have never been selected together atop a draft. For every Andrew Luck, there’s a Robert Griffin III. For every Peyton Manning, there’s a Ryan Leaf. For every Donovan McNabb, there’s a Tim Couch. For every Drew Bledsoe, there’s a Rick Mirer.
Taking that a step further, seven quarterbacks have been drafted second overall in the modern era. Only one — McNabb — has a winning record. Only one — Bert Jones — has been an All-Pro. Zero have won the Super Bowl.
In fact, the Browns shouldn’t even feel pressure to find their next quarterback in the top 10. Seven of the 11 Pro Bowl quarterbacks from 2015 were drafted 11th or beyond. They shouldn’t even feel pressure to draft a QB in the first round. Six of the seven highest-rated passers in football in 2015 weren’t even drafted in Round 1.
Don’t give me that crap about first-round picks winning championships, because the last three Super Bowls were won by a quarterback drafted in Round 3, a quarterback drafted in Round 6, and Bernie Lomax in a Peyton Manning jersey.
Philly doesn’t know it, but it did Cleveland a solid here. If they take advantage of the gift the Eagles gave them, they can send the entire Factory of Sadness (I know it’s not an actual factory) down the I-76.
The Browns swung at the lob tossed up by the Eagles, which is a task on its own, considering that nothing’s certain when you have a front office that defines too many cooks in the kitchen. Meddling owner Jimmy Haslam didn’t get in the way, new de facto president and aficionado of another sport Paul DePodesta didn’t try to bunt, and new “general manager” Sashi Brown didn’t get cold feet. Making this trade was a no-brainer, so the Browns have succeeded at something football-related simply by being in the right place (No. 2 overall) at the right time (2016) and not committing self-sabotage.
That alone is progress. But they still have to make contact. Six picks in the top 100, a shot at a second-tier quarterback, two first-rounders in 2017, three picks in the first two rounds in 2018. The Browns were astute enough to realize that the No. 2 overall pick was worth selling for a king’s ransom. But if they haven’t learned how to identify and draft quality players, it will be for naught and we’ll have yet another reason to throw lit matches on the sports world’s favorite dumpster fire.
