The Cleveland Browns‘ NFL draft haul has widely been hailed as among the best–if not the best–in the league last week, as the team went hard at its needs–offensive linemen and wide receivers–while also moving back and collecting multiple assets, adding a high-value defensive player (Emmanuel McNeil-Warren) in the second round and taking some low-risk gambles late in the process. For a team that needs to rebuild around youth, it was a successful period in the view of analysts, as long as some of the guys they’ve brought in can actually play.
But throughout the process, the Browns had Jori Epstein, a journalist for Yahoo Sports, observing for an in-depth story she wrote for the website. And while Epstein’s piece is fascinating for its detail and storytelling, there is one portion of it that has caught attention among Browns fans.
That would be the Browns’ apparent interest in Ty Simpson, the Alabama quarterback who was connected with the team on an on-again/off-again basis throughout the predraft process. Of course, the question when it comes to any Browns quarterback news is, what does it mean for Shedeur Sanders?
Browns Knew Ty Simpson Could Go at No. 13
It’s debatable just how much interest the Browns had in Simpson, and ultimately, he did land anywhere near a spot at which the Browns would take him. In fact, as Epstein’s story points out: “After the Rams selected Ty Simpson 13th overall (and Haslam exclaimed to a surprised draft room, ‘Andrew knew that a week ago!’), the Browns joined 31 other teams in eschewing quarterbacks for the next 51 picks.”
Andrew is Andrew Berry, the Browns GM, who was already wise to the fact that Simpson had the Rams’ interest at No. 13. The Browns probably would not have taken Simpson at No. 24 (they took KC Concepcion, the receiver from Texas A&M), but the second round was rumored to be a possibility heading into the draft. He was never going to get there, though.
If they had taken him, it would have set the Browns’ quarterback room on a much different footing, with veteran Deshaun Watson being challenged by both Sanders and Simpson as potential QB1s of the future.
GettyBrowns GM Andrew Berry.
Browns Had Ty Simpson Interest Before Changing ‘Infrastructure’ Around Shedeur Sanders
The Browns instead focused on improving the team around the quarterback, without picking a quarterback until taking fringe prospect Taylen Green in the sixth round. But they only took that approach full-on after Simpson was off the board, Berry said, indicating they would have changed course if Simpson had been around when they felt he was a worthwhile pick.
Berry told Epstein: “You want to stay adaptable with that, and you don’t want to force it if it doesn’t necessarily line up with where your resources are positioned in a current year. So we really focused, and particularly when Ty went off the board, we really focused on just the infrastructure around (the quarterback), and we were really pleased with the players that we selected.”
Shedeur Sanders Still the Long-Term Option
Again, we do not know exactly at what point the Browns would have seen their resources lined up with how they valued Simpson. As Berry indicated, it was not as high as No. 13 where the Rams got him. In the end, it all worked out well for Shedeur Sanders, because he stands to benefit if he can win the starting job.
At 24 years old, he is six years younger than Watson and clearly the more future-focused choice at the position. Now, if he is the quarterback, he will have a better offensive line and better receivers on hand to work with.
Browns’ Interest in Shedeur Sanders Challenger During NFL Draft Revealed