The Browns QB Problems
For a long time I’ve always wondered what would happen if an NFL team decided to go all-in on a single draft position as an experiment. As in the team is mostly okay, but has a major position of weakness, so they go into the draft and draft nothing but that position with every pick. Could you theoretically turn a position of weakness into one of strength? You don’t have to hit on all of them, you only have to hit on one, but the rest could provide good depth. This might especially be useful for drafting offensive linemen. Draft nothing but tackles and guards and centers and you’ll have a bunch of youth plus whatever you already had. I don’t know if this would actually work, but I’ve always thought it might be a fun test. The chances of getting a good player at a position go up if you draft nothing but that one position. QB might be the biggest “why the fuck not” position to attempt.
The Browns have somehow found themselves in this spot. Not entirely via the draft, but through sheer nonsense. The Browns currently employ 6 Quarterbacks. Flacco came back from the Colts to rejoin Stefanski for one more shot at glory. Kenny Pickett came over from the Eagles. They drafted Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. They recently signed Snoop Huntley, another former Browns QB. Then, sitting on the bench because they can’t get rid of him, Creepazoid. You that old saying. If you have 6 QBs you have no QB.
To be fair Huntley is only there due to camp injuries to Gabriel and Pickett. Sanders is also nursing a shoulder problem. Creepazoid can’t get evicted yet and honestly shouldn’t count as he wouldn’t play anyway due to his rehab. At some point the Browns are going to have to narrow these guys down to at least 4 (Again, Creepazoid won’t play, but he can’t get cut, so he won’t be on the active roster). My guess: Huntley and Pickett get cut. Huntley is obvious; he’s a placeholder camp body until someone heals up. But Pickett is the other sensible choice IMO. Gabriel and Sanders are draft picks, Pickett was just a guy they signed before drafting either of them and he’s currently hurt. Are the Browns really going to keep Sanders AND Gabriel? I feel like they have to unless one of them is really stinking up the joint, which does not seem to be happening. I’d say Sanders is more likely to get cut, but that would also cause drama. If Gabriel gets cut, we will get a lot of questions about why they drafted Gabriel over Sanders first. Fair questions, but I’m not sure the Browns FO wants to deal with it.
The Browns are in such a weird place. They are likely to be pretty grotesque this year, and we have a good chance of adding at least two hydra heads. I wonder if Stefanski’s job is in trouble (as common sense would say) or if he’s kind of earned himself a stay of execution due to how the QB situation is not his fault. Most people seem to assume they are aiming for a QB next year which is why they didn’t take anyone high this year. If true, this might be one of the few times the Browns are competent at something. Stefanski has brought the team success amongst this turmoil, and many of the problems don’t appear to be directly on him. Keeping him around and letting him do his job seems patient and smart. If he can keep the Browns competitive this year (not necessarily record-wise but play-wise), I think keeping him around is fair.
Imagine telling someone when the first “Fort Elite Moneys” came out that Joe Flacco would be battling it out for a spot on the BROWNS with a serial rapist, a Pro Bowler (for the Ravens, mind you) that only started 4 games his Pro Bowl season, and Deion Sanders’ nepo baby.
The lifespan of The Draw Play is truly incredible
The ’81 49ers actually did what your talking about. They spent all of their top 3 picks & a few others on the secondary, which was the worst area of their 1980 team that went 6-10.
The rest of the 80s (& 90s) speaks for itself.
Ah, the Washington R(static)s strategy: play the fancy QB but keep the traditional QB as backup on the odd chance you break the fancy QB playing him when its painfully obvious that he’s too hurt to play.
In 1999 the Packers spent their first 3 picks on DBs because they were (rightfully) scared shitless of Randy Moss.
Not quite “take one position the entire draft,” but close
A pre-season single roster QB hydra is very Browns! Makes for great comics content.
Pats used to double dip e.g. Gronk/Herandez or Vereen/Ridley to tray and change weaknesses into strengths.
If you did go all in at a position you would probably be able to make trades during preseason to balance your roster at some point, a bigger problem might be getting draft value when the BAP set doesn’t include the position you are targeting.
Heh. I knew this reminded of an earlier comic:
https://www.thedrawplay.com/comic/the-eagles-qb-lineup/
(Also, Dave, wow has your style and detail improved over the years!)
I like the comparisons there too:
Bradford -> Flacco (the presumed starter with the most experience)
Sanchez -> Pickett (will mostly be remembered for a really bad fumble he had while wearing a green jersey)
Tebow -> Sanders (somewhat talented, if overrated, but comes with a media circus)
Barkley -> Gabriel (the one who no one will remember in 5 years)
Watson is in a class all to himself
You should do a comic for the original Browns in the style of Mike Polk Jr.’s short lived “Great Moments in Cleveland Sport History”. Basically how the late 1980s Kosar era Browns keeps losing to Elway Broncos.
Then there’s a small spinoff with a Browns fan in a padded room with a straightjacket insisting that his team could have won against the Giants in SB XXI.