The Cleveland Browns could look to the NFL Draft to select their franchise quarterback.
Cleveland named Deshaun Watson its starting quarterback for the 2026 NFL season, but after Week 1, he’s struggled.
Watson is in the final year of his five-year, $230 million deal and likely won’t be brought back. And all expectations is the Browns will pursue a quarterback in the NFL Draft.
Cleveland Browns Mocked to Select Trinidad Chambliss
The Browns are widely expected to draft a quarterback early in the 2026 NFL Draft.
However, SI’s Justin Melo had an early mock draft and had Cleveland getting the fourth overall pick and selecting Jeremiah Smith. After not being able to get Arch Manning, Dante Moore, and CJ Carr, Melo has the Browns selecting Chambliss with the 32nd overall pick from the Los Angeles Rams.
“Earlier in this mock, the Browns chose No. 4 overall and missed out on Manning, Moore, and Carr. General manager Andrew Berry may have to get creative to find his quarterback solution. They own the Los Angeles Rams’ first-round pick (from the Myles Garrett trade),” Melo wrote.
“It appears destined to land in the 28-32 range, where prospects like Trinidad Chambliss could ultimately fall. Chambliss is a non-traditional prospect due to age (25) and a lack of desired measurables, but he’s a certified playmaker.”
Chambliss is arguably the best quarterback in college football, but his age could slide him down draft boards. He led Ole Miss to the college football playoff a year ago and has the Rebels as true national title contenders this year.
Through three games, Chambliss is 77-of-110 for 924 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.
Cleveland Could Make QB Decision
The Browns named Watson its starting quarterback to begin the year, but it might not last.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport revealed that the Browns are expected to reevaluate the quarterback plan after Week 3.
“Decision time is coming for the Cleveland Browns and their quarterback situation. Deshaun Watson will make his second straight start on the road to open the season for the Browns — and after that, Cleveland will make its evaluation,” Rapoport wrote.
“While no firm decision has been made for Week 3, the belief is that the first two games would serve as a natural evaluation point. In other words, the Browns could use the return to Cleveland for their Week 3 home opener and a two-game sample size as the impetus for a quarterback change.”
Watson went 16-of-22 for 205 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception, as the Browns offense struggled in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Cleveland will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road on Sunday with kickoff set for 1 p.m. ET.
Browns Predicted to Replace $230M Quarterback With Trinidad Chambliss