Week 1 of the NFL regular season has come and gone, and one team has already sustained a major injury at the quarterback position. Cleveland Browns’ quarterback Robert Griffin III sustained an injury to his non-throwing shoulder in the fourth quarter of their game against the Eagles, and he has already been placed on injured reserve less than a day after the injury occurrence. Now that their #1 option is gone, the Browns must look in another direction to find a suitable quarterback for the team. Here are some options for the lost team.
*Disclaimer: The Browns will likely be mired in the standings for the entire season, regardless of which quarterback they get to play for them. No matter which choice they make, they will likely pick the wrong quarterback at the top of the draft in 2017.*
Roll with Josh McCown
Josh McCown came to the Browns in the 2014 offseason on a 3 year, $14 million contract. He appeared in 8 games for the team, passing for 2,109 yards with a 63.7% completion percentage, while also throwing 12 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. While he is not a strong pick or a good one, he is their most likely choice for a starter for the rest of the season, as he is familiar with the playbook and has played somewhat well for a Browns quarterback. He won’t wow you, but he can do the best with what is given to him on the field in terms of surrounding talent.
Trade for a veteran option
Much like the Vikings executed a trade for Sam Bradford after Teddy Bridgewater went down with an injury, the Browns could pull off a trade for some established talent. Established and talent are two words used lightly, as there is not much left to scrounge for around the league. Some of these strong options include Matt Cassel, Nick Foles, Mark Sanchez, Brian Hoyer, and Christian Ponder. These are all quarterbacks on team friendly one year deals for players that will be unnecessary in 2017. While none of these quarterbacks are good, they aren’t the worst option given to the team.
Throw Cody Kessler into the fire
This is the worst option given to the team. Cody Kessler was selected out of the University of Southern California in the third round of the 2016 draft. In the preseason he went 19 of 28 (68%) for 92 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. His most memorable preseason campaign moment was when he ran out of the back of the end zone while throwing a pass against the Green Bay Packers, thus giving up a safety. Kessler is a very unlikely option to start any games for the Browns this year (barring injury), and will be on the bench for the majority of the season. While he was strong in college, he has struggled to adapt to the passing game of the NFL. Kessler is the most unlikely option of all these listed.
Sign a street free agent
There is a microscopic chance that the Browns sign a free agent quarterback off the street and make him a starter. In the first year of Sashi Brown’s rule, we cannot rule out what may seem like an impossibility. Some names such as Michael Vick, Matt Flynn, Ryan Lindley, and Charlie Whitehurst could be floated around, but none would make a profound impact on an already lost season.
Bring back Johnny Manziel
Gotcha.
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