For whatever the long-term potential Carson Wentz and Jared Goff might have at the quarterback position, Cleveland isn't the place for either of them in the short-term.
That's the way NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah sees the position that the Browns' new front office and coaching staff are in as the 2016 NFL Draft approaches. NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns and New York Jets as all having expressed trade interest to the San Francisco 49ers in quarterback Colin Kaepernick. And while the club clearly has a need at the position, Jeremiah advocated a veteran, Kaepernick or otherwise, as the smart move for the Browns.
And their interest in Kaepernick could be telling.
"To me, it tells me they're not sold on what this quarterback class can bring them with the second overall pick, and maybe they just want to get a sure thing at a different position (at No. 2)," Jeremiah said. "Be it a Jalen Ramsey, maybe it's a Joey Bosa, or if Laremy Tunsil doesn't go No. 1, who knows, maybe they address a tackle position. To me, for whatever young quarterback comes into this Cleveland Browns team, what do you have in place to make them successful? How is that going to work out? To me, they have to get a veteran, because either one of these two young quarterbacks in (Jared) Goff and (Carson) Wentz, if you just throw them into the fire with what's around them currently in Cleveland, they will fail."
Wentz, of North Dakota State, and Cal's Goff are expected to be the first two quarterbacks chosen in the draft, though the order in which they fall isn't as clear. What is clear: the Browns' need for a quarterback is an immediate one. And Jeremiah doesn't see any rookie as the immediate answer.
"You hope they're mentally strong enough to be able to recover, but it is not a good environment for a rookie quarterback to be playing," Jeremiah added.
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