By Daniel 
It’s becoming more and more obvious that the Browns don’t see Deshaun Watson as their long-term answer at quarterback
even though he’s still going to eat up a big chunk of the salary cap for a while.
They picked up Kenny Pickett in a trade with the Eagles earlier this offseason, but haven’t made any big-name additions at quarterback beyond that. Rumors have floated around maybe Joe Flacco comes back, maybe a trade for Kirk Cousins, or even drafting Shedeur Sanders with the No. 2 overall pick.
But ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. sees it going a different way. He thinks the Browns will pass on Sanders and take Travis Hunter Sanders’ teammate at Colorado and the Heisman winner then snag Louisville QB Tyler Shough with the first pick of the second round.
Kiper’s reasoning? Shough’s got the size (6’5″, 219 lbs) and arm strength to handle Cleveland’s rough weather, and while he’s older (turning 26), he’s experienced over 950 passes in 43 college games. Kiper thinks Shough could actually compete with Pickett for the starting spot.
Now, about Shough’s past: he had a solid season last year at Louisville with nearly 3,200 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and only six interceptions. But injuries have followed him around. He started at Oregon, then transferred to Texas Tech, and finally ended up at Louisville. Thanks to COVID and all the injuries, it took him seven years to finish college ball. Before last season, he hadn’t played more than seven games in a year.
So what does this mean for the Browns? If they go with Shough and Picket then and if Watson is still not healthy they might need another quarterback to round things out. The team can’t afford to go big financially, so a second-round rookie deal for Shough plus Pickett’s cheap contract is appealing.
Still, if neither guy steps up, Cleveland might want a veteran who can take the reins. Joe Flacco actually makes the most sense. He’s a free agent, he’s affordable, and he already proved he can lead the Browns after their playoff push in 2023. Compare that to a pricey Cousins trade, and Flacco looks like the safer play.
But bottom line: if the Browns flop again this season like they did last year, both GM Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski could be out before they even find out if Tyler Shough was worth the pick.