The Cleveland Browns have Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel at quarterback for 2015, but there have been rumors the team trying to trade up for Marcus Mariota in the draft along with interest in Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford and there is a chance the team could try pulling off one of those trades as the draft gets closer.
The Browns finished the season in 2014 on a losing streak and after a very negative offseason, the team is hoping to bank some goodwill at the draft. The team comes in with two first round picks and the most selections of any team and that puts them in position to make moves if they want to. The team was fortunate that they did not lose any picks due to the Ray Farmer texting scandal and punishment and that means they still have a package of picks to work with.
According to Pro Football Talk, the Browns are still considering quarterback moves a month out of the draft even after signing McCown in free agency. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that while the Browns are "fully prepared" to start McCown, the team is still looking at trades involving Mariota and Bradford. Reports had the Browns interested in Bradford before he was traded to the Eagles, with Cleveland offering a first round pick to the Rams for Bradford.
The Rams instead went after Nick Foles and traded Bradford to the Eagles and Cabot writes that there is a chance the Browns could explore trying to get Bradford from Philly. If Bradford is traded from Philadelphia, that would play into the speculation that the Eagles and hip Kelly want to move up to take Mariota. The Browns have also been connected to Mariota due to the draft picks they have and they likely will have to trade a number one and future picks if they want to get him.
Mariota is the hot name coming into the draft because Winston is presumed to be the top overall pick. The quarterback class is fairly deep with names like Bryce Petty, Brett Hundley and Taylor Kelly coming out, but it's also top heavy with Winston and Mariota. The two are the last two winners of the Heisman trophy and that is why so many teams have been connected to Mariota. The San Diego Chargers are a potential trade partner, while the Eagles and Jets have also been connected to the Oregon star.
Manziel went to rehab in the offseason and was very inconsistent when he got the chance to play in 2014 and now he comes into this season with pressure to get things moving in the right direction. Farmer said earlier in the offseason that the team would be willing to look at quarterbacks in the draft, but that doesn't mean the team is done with Manziel.
The new CBA means that draftees do not make as much money as they once did, which also means that it isn't crippling if a team takes a quarterback high two years in a row. While that may not be the best way to get things done, it will not sink the cap with the space that the Browns still have after free agency. The main moves this offseason included signing Brian Hartline and Dwayne Bowe along with Tramon Williams.
