Browns Positioned to Trade Former Pro Bowl QB Ahead of Season

Getty Quarterbacks Deshaun Watson (left) and Tyler Huntley (right) of the Cleveland Browns.

The Cleveland Browns have a handful of questions and answers at the quarterback position that don’t exactly line up.

Deshaun Watson will begin the season under center, but how long he lasts after just 12 collectively subpar starts in two years is perhaps the biggest question in Cleveland. His $230 million contract has rendered him untouchable — not to mention untradable — to this point, but the Browns will field an expensive, Super Bowl-caliber defense again in 2024 and can’t afford to waste it on a quarterback with a 59.8% completion percentage and a QBR hovering in the low 40s.

If Cleveland finally puts Watson on a leash and continued poor play forces the team to yank the proverbial chain, Jameis Winston will be answer to whom it turns. The next most pertinent question then is who will slot in at QB3 behind the turnover-prone Winston, who hasn’t been a regular NFL starter since 2019?

The choice matters, with the Browns starting five different QBs as they cobbled their way to the playoffs last season, and it will come down to former Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowler Tyler Huntley or 2023 fifth-round draft pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The QB3 position is also of consequence because the man who doesn’t win it will immediately become one of Cleveland’s top preseason trade assets.

Thompson-Robinson appeared in eight games as a rookie, earning three starts, and is playing well in camp as he fights for a job, according to Zac Jackson of The Athletic. Given Thompson-Robinson’s age, contract length and the fact that general manager Andrew Berry spent a recent draft pick on him puts the Browns in position to trade a quarterback in Huntley who has proven himself a capable starter.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson Producing for Browns on Practice Field

GettyCleveland Browns QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Jackson reported on Cleveland’s quarterback situation on August 4, including a specific delve into Thompson-Robinson’s play.

“There are many reasons the Browns added two veteran quarterbacks in the offseason, and Thompson-Robinson finishing his rookie year injured was one of them,” Jackson wrote. “He’s still guaranteed nothing and will need to perform well in the preseason, but Thompson-Robinson impressed during the Greenbrier practices by throwing the ball with accuracy and confidence. And though opportunities were limited before Watson got a planned day off on Friday, Thompson-Robinson made at least one standout throw each day that featured competitive drills.”

Thompson-Robinson was a quality preseason player in 2023 as well, and can make the QB3 decision easy on the Browns if he continues to play at a high level in practice, then shows out in a few game spots over the next month. That said, it is important for the team to get Huntley time and shine during the preseason as well so as to maximize his value.

Tyler Huntley Could Provide Browns Significant Trade Value

GettyQuarterback Tyler Huntley, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens.

Cleveland won’t carry four quarterbacks into the regular season, as evidenced by the team’s decision to trade Josh Dobbs to the Arizona Cardinals for a fifth-round pick last summer in favor of keeping Thompson-Robinson and PJ Walker in the QB rotation.

Dobbs ended up starting 12 games between stints with the Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings, and he is now the clear favorite to back up Brock Purdy with the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.

Huntley could follow a similar path in 2024 and, if he plays well over the next month given the context of Dobbs’ ascent last season, his value could potentially land the Browns a pick somewhere the Day-2 range from the right trade partner. Thompson-Robinson is also a tradable player on a rookie contract, but Huntley has proven more in the league and has more experience. Beyond that, the Browns decision-makers are less tethered to him.

As the backup to two-time MVP Lamar Jackson over the last four years, Huntley has amassed 1,957 passing yards, 8 TDs and 7 INTs along with 509 rushing yards and 3 scores. He has played in 20 games, earning 9 starts, and owns a 3-6 record. Voters made Huntley a Pro Bowl replacement in 2022 after QB Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills chose not to play in the game for health reasons.