The Cleveland Browns are expected to make a bid for Brendan Sorsby. The bigger question is how high they are willing to go.
Sorsby will be available in the NFL supplemental draft after a turbulent offseason tied to gambling issues that derailed his college future. He has the size, arm talent and mobility teams look for at the position, which makes him an intriguing name. He also comes with enough risk to make any decision complicated.
Longtime Browns reporter Tony Grossi said he has no doubt Cleveland will take a swing on Sorsby.
“There’s no doubt in my mind the Browns will bid on Brendan Sorsby. The question is how high will they go,” Grossi said on X.
The Browns have spent years searching for the right answer at quarterback, but that search has rarely been simple. Adding Sorsby would not make it any cleaner.
Cleveland already has a crowded quarterback room, but not many firm answers. Deshaun Watson is trying to re-establish himself. Shedeur Sanders is pushing for the starting job after an up-and-down rookie season. Dillon Gabriel is fighting to remain in the picture, while rookie Taylen Green is a developmental option with rare physical traits.
Adding Sorsby would bring more intrigue, but also more complications. Grossi later added that he would not go higher than a third-round pick for Sorsby.
Browns Coach Todd Monken Shut Down Sorsby Talk
The supplemental draft does not work like a normal free-agent chase. If the Browns place a winning bid on Sorsby, they would lose the corresponding pick in next year’s draft. A third-round bid would mean a loss of a third-round pick in 2027.
Supplemental draft bids are blind, meaning teams do not know what other clubs are offering. If the Browns want Sorsby badly enough, they will have to decide what future draft pick they are comfortable putting on the line.
However, Browns coach Todd Monken has already made his position on Sorsby very clear. He was asked about the possibility earlier this offseason and did not leave much room for interpretation.
“I mean that’s not even come across my desk. I don’t think we’re in a position to want to go down that road,” Monken said. “That’s my opinion, that’s not Andrew’s. I like the quarterbacks that we have. I think that’s a slippery slope when you go down that, irrespective of talent. In terms of the situation he’s put himself in, we all know what that is. He put himself in that situation. And we’ve seen in other sports with players that have been banned for life from playing in professional sports.”
Monken did acknowledge that his view was not necessarily general manager Andrew Berry’s, who ultimately controls the roster. But the first year head coach’s opinion will still carry weight.
Browns Will Have to Make Decision on QB Room
The Browns are already facing the possibility of parting ways with one of their four quarterbacks. Watson and Sanders seem relativley safe as they battle for the No. 1 spot. Cleveland invested a sixth-round pick in Green this year and he brings rare size and athleticism, even if he is still raw as a passer. At this point, Gabriel appears to be the odd man out.
“Most teams go into camp with four quarterbacks. That rep distribution may be a little bit different than what we had, but it’s the most important position in sports and it’s something that we felt strongly about investing in,” Berry said. “We believe in competition in every room on the roster, and quarterback’s no different.”
If Cleveland brings in Sorsby, it would almost certainly force another quarterback out and reshape the entire room.
‘No Doubt’ Browns Will Make Bid for Brendan Sorsby: Report