One of the interesting narratives that has developed around the Cleveland Browns this season is that the primary goal of general manager Andrew Berry and Co. heading into the offseason has pretty quickly borne fruit. If you’ll remember, the Browns had determined not to touch the quarterback room all winter and spring, despite the hoots and howls of fans and media. The Browns added sixth-round pick Taylen Green, but he’s strictly a low-risk developmental project. It was the worst quarterback group in the NFL when the season ended, and the only significant change when training camp started was that Deshaun Watson was healthy.
But Berry was determined, to use his word, to create a good “ecosystem” for a quarterback to thrive. Again, it was not a popular approach but looking at the Browns through six games, where even Watson has them at 4-2 despite his lackluster play, you can see what Berry was going for. It’s working.
Browns Must Replace Deshaun Watson Long Term
Now all the Browns need to do is find the right guy to replace Watson. Sure, there has been talk about re-signing Watson on some kind of bridge contract, but he is not a long-term solution and anyone watching this team can see that plainly.
For SI.com’s Justin Melo, the Browns figure to use one of their two first-rounders in 2027 to add a quarterback, even as this year’s supposedly strong collegiate class continues to be watered down. Melo even sees the Browns passing on Arch Manning and taking the guy guiding the current No. 1 team in the NCAA–Miami’s Darian Mensah.
Darian Mensah the ‘Right Point Guard’
Mensah has been ridiculously efficient this season for the Hurricanes–his 230.9 rating is tops in the nation–and Melo sees the Browns being willing to trade down and still land him. The Browns might prefer more of a dual-threat quarterback, but Mensah’s accuracy trumps that concern.
He writes that there is, indeed, a good ecosystem in place: “The Browns get their quarterback despite trading back from No. 11. It’s strange to call the Browns an ideal landing spot, but this could be one for Mensah, with Cleveland having an impressive young group of skill players, including rookie receivers Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion. Coach Todd Monken also has had plenty of success with the offense in the short amount of time he’s been there.
“The extremely accurate Mensah (80.8 completion percentage) could be the right point guard to guide this ascending offense. The 6’3″, 205-pound signal-caller has thrown for 1,764 yards, 18 touchdowns and one interception.”
Browns Predicted to Add ‘Point Guard’ to Replace Deshaun Watson