With the 2013 NFL Draft only weeks away, Around the League will examine one big question facing all 32 teams. Next up: The Cleveland Browns.
Are Browns looking beyond Brandon Weeden?
The Cleveland Browns have been active at the quarterback position, signing veteran Jason Campbell and trading away backup Colt McCoy. If the team truly is committed to Brandon Weeden, adding a passer isn't critical. Still, it shouldn't surprise anyone when Cleveland dials up another quarterback in this month's draft.
The new regime has been tepid, at best, in their praise of Weeden. He's a better fit for coach Rob Chudzinski's vertical passing attack than he was for Pat Shurmur's vanilla West Coast offensive scheme, but Browns CEO Joe Banner's past with the Philadelphia Eagles tells us Cleveland is not about to hitch its wagon to a soon-to-be-30 signal-caller. The Browns want to find a young arm to develop the offense around for years to come.
It's not a sexy draft class at the position, but someone like Arizona's Matt Scott in the later rounds is an ideal fit for Chudzinski and offensive coordinator Norv Turner. Miami (Ohio)'s Zac Dysert is another intriguing name. Third option: Mike Lombardi swings a trade for New England Patriots backup Ryan Mallett, a player the Browns general manager has a confirmed man-crush on.
Chudzinski was hired by Banner and owner Jimmy Haslam to bring innovation to the attack. Weeden is a plodding passer who limits what the Browns can do schematically. I like his arm, but Weeden must show vastly better decision-making to keep his starting role.
No matter what you hear out of Cleveland, expect the quarterback room to grow more crowded after the draft.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
