It is no secret that Brandon Weeden struggled in his rookie year with the Cleveland Browns. As he struggled, so did the team. Weeden was the 22nd overall draft pick having the Browns believing he could be the future of the franchise. However, as the Browns look to begin making progress in 2013 with the new managment of Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi, Weeden could find himself on the choping block.
In 2012, Weeden completed 57.4 percent of his passes which is a great number. But, he also through 17 interceptions and only 14 touchdowns, totaling 3,385 yards. Weeden won the starting quarterback role from Colt McCoy who also struggled in his rookie year with the team. The Browns need an upgrade badly, but getting rid of Weeden could be easier said than done.
Trading Weeden could be difficult as many teams do not see much upside to him. He could only be worth a fourth or fifth round draft pick for him, which a terrible return on investment considering he was a first round pick a year ago. His age is a concern as well. Already at 29, he could be more prone to injuries in the future. His overall playing ability is not overly impressive and he lacks good decision making abilities.
So what could the Browns do to remedy the situation if they cannot trade Weeden. The team could try and get a quarterback high in the draft, however if they are looking for a franchise quarterback, reports are that those will be hard to find this year. No one quarterback looks ready to take over a team right away. The could decide to go for a less experience than have to deal with Weeden's turnover issues for another season.
There are a few quarterbacks that are floating around in free agency. Alex Smith is the first name brought up as San Francisco does not have much use for him anymore. However, Smith's arm strength and inability to be effective throwing a deep ball will not allow him to succeed in a Norv Turner offense. The Browns could try and trade for Eagles' backup Nick Foles, but Philadelphia has made it clear they are not looking for get rid of him.
The Cleveland Browns are in desperate need of a spark in the quarterback position. It makes sense to try and upgrade from Weeden. He is not fit at the moment to carry the team to having a success 2013 seson. They only question will be can they get better quality after already having given up a lot to get him in the first place.
