Looking ahead to the future, the Cleveland Browns have a lot of questions to answer. The front office will be working overtime heading into the NFL offseason.
Obviously, the biggest question will come at the quarterback position.
Deshaun Watson is still under contract for big money. He still has two years left on the brutal deal that they gave him. Unfortunately, it is very clear that he is not the answer under center for the Browns.
That leaves Andrew Berry and company with a few options.
Cleveland could opt to keep Watson for two more years, hope that he can turn things around, and then search for a new quarterback if he doesn't. They could try to sign or trade for a quarterback. Or, the final option is that they could draft one with their expected high pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
If they choose to explore the free agency route, there is one option that has been suggested as a potential fit for the Browns.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report has suggested that Cleveland could consider pursuing current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields in free agency.
“Fields ranks high on our board because of his age, physical skills, positional value and continued growth. If a team isn’t sold on prospects like Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, it may be eager to take a flier on Fields instead. … Teams seeking a new long-term quarterback plan — possibly on a budget — like the Browns and [New York] Jets may target Fields early in free agency.”
Fields would be a very intriguing option for the Browns. He showed a lot of promise and potential earlier this season when he was started in place of Russell Wilson. That starting job disappeared when Wilson returned from injury, but he did enough to prove that he can be a quality quarterback.
During the six games that he has played this season, Fields has completed 66.3 percent of his pass attempts for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns, and one interceptions. He has also picked up 231 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
At just 25 years old and 26 when next season begins, Fields is still young enough to be a long-term option.
Depending on his price tag, Cleveland should absolutely show interest. They could then use their first-round pick on a piece that could help fix other issues.
Expect to see Fields end up being a very popular free agency target during the offseason. Pittsburgh seems likely to try and re-sign him, but the Browns should swoop in and see if they can steal him away from their AFC North rivals.
