The Cleveland Browns have four quarterbacks connected to the organization with Week 1 approaching, so it is reasonable to wonder if at least one other NFL team has made at least one call about at least one of those QBs.
A media member asked Browns assistant general manager Catherine Hickman whether the team had received any such inquiries, and her immediate response was worth a moderate eyebrow-raise.
“#Browns assistant GM Catherine Hickman was asked if the team received any trade offers for any QBs: Not that I will comment on,'” Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported via X on Wednesday, September 2.
Cabot went on to add in the comments section of that post that: “[Hickman] clarified that it’s a question for GM Andrew Berry.”
It is technically speculation to assume that Hickman’s initial comment indicates the Browns have gotten trade calls on one quarterback, if not multiple.
But,it is also fair to wonder if Hickman was admitting something by accident that she didn’t mean to divulge, then attempted to walk it back by saying that all she meant was essentially, ‘Go ask the GM.’
Deshaun Watson’s Play Over First Month of Season May Dictate Browns’ Plans on Trading QB
Cleveland head coach Todd Monken decided to start the season with Deshaun Watson as QB1, while presumed third-string signal-caller Dillon Gabriel will begin the year on the injured reserve list (IR) with a back issue that will sideline him for at least four games.
Whether the Browns decide to meaningfully engage with any trade talks on any QBs, regardless of whether those conversations originate in Cleveland or elsewhere, will probably boil down to how well Watson plays to start the year.
No general manager in his/her right mind would deal for Watson and his enormous contract, even if he plays exceptionally. Meanwhile, Taylen Green is liable to end up QB4 when Gabriel is healthy, but the athletic, sixth-round rookie has interesting developmental upside and probably isn’t on the table at any point this year.
Dillon Gabriel Most Logical QB Trade Candidate in Cleveland
That leaves Gabriel and backup QB Shedeur Sanders.
If Watson struggles early, then Monken may well bench him and elevate Sanders into the starting role. At that point, the team might decide Gabriel makes the most sense as its backup QB and no one switches teams before the November 10 trade deadline.
The other outcome is that Watson plays well enough to keep his job after a month of the season has passed, in which case Sanders likely remains at No. 2 on the depth chart and Gabriel is a potential trade chip after ending the preseason with a strong showing against the New England Patriots.
There are certainly scenarios in which the Browns might consider trading Sanders, too. However, he is so popular within the fanbase and has only seven starts to his credit that moving him during this season might simply prove too big of a public relations hit for a first-year coach to take — especially after Monken already angered many fans by naming Watson the starter over Sanders for Week 1.
Browns Make Head-Turning Statement on QB Trade Talks