The Cleveland Browns have had an interesting offseason following a disappointing 3-14 campaign last year. If the Browns are going to improve, it will have to start on offense—specifically at quarterback—by getting better play from that position.
Cleveland’s offseason has been eventful, beginning with a trade request from star pass rusher Myles Garrett. That situation was ultimately resolved when the Browns paid him big money to stay. Now, the team has four healthy quarterbacks competing for the starting job: Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders.
Here at A to Z Sports, Kyle Crabbs recently outlined the boldest offseason move for each AFC North team. His pick for the Browns? Trading away the opportunity to draft Travis Hunter—and he had some interesting thoughts on the decision:
“The selling point around trading down in the draft is always easy — collecting more draft capital as a rebuilding team is always a good thing. Hunter is such a unique talent, however. And I think I’d have been less surprised by the move had the Browns had a different resolution to the Myles Garrett situation. Garrett had requested a trade this spring, will be playing in his age-29 season in 2025, and the Browns are the epitome of being backed up against the cap amid an aging roster and their three-year cash spending strategy. They’re spending more cash than anyone else in the league.” — Kyle Crabbs, A to Z Sports
Crabbs struggled to understand the Browns’ decision to stockpile draft picks at the expense of a chance to land a generational talent like Hunter, especially given their contrasting approach with Garrett. Cleveland’s choice to keep Garrett likely goes beyond just football—he’s arguably the best player to wear a Browns uniform since the team returned in 1999. Letting him go would have been a tough sell to fans, and clearly not one the organization was willing to make.
The Browns need to turn things around and start winning games this season. If they fail and are forced to clean house, the Garrett extension could quickly become a challenging contract to manage. Cleveland brought him back to build a winner around him—anything less would be viewed as a failure.
