The Cleveland Browns have one of those good quarterback problems, and the solution could be trading an established NFL starter for a solid draft pick.
Both Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Tyler Huntley have a claim on the QB3 job in Cleveland behind starter Deshaun Watson and backup Jameis Winston. Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN contended recently that whoever ends up the fourth man on the depth chart becomes a potential trade chip.
“Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Tyler Huntley both made final strong cases to be the Browns’ No. 3 quarterback,” Oyefusi wrote on Sunday, August 25. “General manager Andrew Berry said he prefers to keep three passers on the 53-man roster, as long as all are deserving, and Cleveland has that luxury. Whoever doesn’t make it as the third quarterback could be a trade candidate before the cut-down deadline.”
Thompson-Robinson, a fifth-round draft pick of the Browns in 2023, has been a preseason breakout player for the second consecutive summer. Huntley, a former Pro Bowler who started nine games and appeared in 20 for the Baltimore Ravens over the past four seasons, racked up 3 TD passes in the second half of Cleveland’s final preseason game Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
Thompson-Robinson turns 25 years old in November and Huntley will play the upcoming campaign at 26. All things being equal, Huntley is the more likely trade candidate, as Thompson-Robinson was a pick of the Browns just one year ago and has an extra season of experience in the offense.
But given Huntley’s regular-season history and his preseason efforts this August, he should be able to command a Day 2 draft selection from an ostensibly QB-needy team like the Dallas Cowboys.
Cowboys Face Uncertainty at QB With Dak Prescott Bound for Free Agency After 2024 Season
At a glance, Dallas appears set at QB with starter and three-time Pro Bowler Dak Prescott healthy and coming off of an All-Pro campaign in 2023, after which he finished second in MVP voting behind only Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
However, Prescott is just one year away from unrestricted free agency and hasn’t been able to generate meaningful traction on extension talks with the Cowboys front office to this point. Prescott is entering the final season of a four-year contract worth $160 million, and Spotrac projects his annual market value at more than $55 million over a new four-year deal.
If Dallas isn’t willing to pay Prescott that kind of money in his age-32 season and beyond, the Cowboys all of a sudden have major questions under center. Cooper Rush is the current backup QB, though he has started only six games in six years (5-1). Meanwhile, Trey Lance is the team’s third-string signal-caller and fresh off a 5-INT performance against the Los Angeles Chargers in Sunday’s preseason finale.
The Cowboys sent the San Francisco 49ers a fourth-round pick for Lance last summer, possibly as insurance against Prescott leaving in free agency following the 2024 campaign. If that no longer looks like a feasible path forward, a fourth-rounder to the Browns for Huntley is a reasonable fallback plan as the organization searches for a more permanent, star-level starting QB.
Tyler Huntley Dual-Threat QB With Proven NFL Resumé
Huntley is inexpensive, playing on a one-year deal worth $1.3 million that includes less than $500,000 in guaranteed money.
For his career, Huntley has completed 64.6% of his passes for 1,957 yards, 8 TDs and 7 INTs, while rushing the football for 509 yards and 3 scores, per Pro Football Reference. He is 3-6 as a starter and earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2022 as a replacement for Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
If Cleveland is keen on moving one of its four QBs for a quality draft pick, and the Cowboys aren’t willing to bite on Huntley, Thompson-Robinson should also be able to garner a Day 2 selection in 2025. He appeared in eight games for the Browns during his rookie campaign, starting three contests and earning a record of 1-2.
