The Opening Drive 2/12: Defense Will Be Tempting at No. 6, and More Quarterback Drivel
The Browns have to resist the temptation that will be there at the sixth pick.
For the better part of the last several seasons, the Browns have poured resources into building a defense capable of carrying the team. High draft picks, expensive free-agent investments, and schematic alignment have turned that unit into one of the most talented groups in football. And yet, the same story keeps repeating: the defense often holds up its end, but the offense struggles to score enough to win.
That imbalance has reached a breaking point. It cost people jobs. If the Browns want to change their trajectory, this draft must be overwhelmingly focused on offense and Andrew Berry has been outspoken about the desire to do so. He’s now mentioned the need for offense in multiple settings and I don’t think you will see that stop from the combine through the pre-draft media sessions.
The question, though, is always the same. Can we trust anything Andrew Berry says publicly in an offseason? The history tells us no, but he needs to prove his worth this year by simply doing that obvious thing.
Too often, as we know, recent Browns games turn into defensive slugfests where one or two offensive mistakes decide everything. It’s just not sustainable. They need to become a team capable of consistently scoring in the 20s and not relying on a defense to pitch borderline shutouts. Even elite defenses eventually crack if they’re constantly put back on the field or asked to protect slim margins. We have witnessed plenty of that since the start of the 2023 season.
That brings us to late April’s NFL Draft. The Browns will be sitting there with the sixth overall pick and a slew of quality defensive players on the board. Perhaps even the top EDGE, cornerback, and safety. Would Caleb Downs help this team, sure he would. Even a chance he might even be an elite player as soon as he touches the field at the NFL level. It’s tempting, I know it. He’s one of the best prospects we’ve seen at the position.
But this organization has put themselves in a position that doesn’t allow a luxury selection on that side of the ball. They must select talent in the trenches or the kind who can help create explosive plays on offense. They need an influx at receiver and all across that offensive line. They have to invest their premium selections in those spots.
You simply don’t see quality offensive tackles or receivers hit the free agent market. They are found through the draft and that is what the Browns have to do this season no matter how tempting it might be to select a player like Caleb Downs or Sonny Styles. Cleveland already built a defense capable of winning games and they have that right now. Now they must build an offense capable of meeting the same standard.
If the Browns want to escape the cycle of close losses and wasted defensive performances, this draft has to tilt heavily toward offense and they cannot deviate from the plan. Stack talent, create competition, and finally give the unit enough firepower to carry its share of the load.
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I don’t find this conversation very challenging, but for some it is. There is a growing belief that Deshaun Watson is going to be the Browns best option for starting games in 2026 and I am quite befuddled as to how we arrived here.
At some point, every franchise has to make a hard decision in the interest of moving forward. For the Browns, that point has arrived with Watson. Fair or not, expensive or not, complicated or not — Watson cannot start another game for this team if the organization is serious about competing again.
This isn’t about emotion. It’s about football reality.
The Browns have to solve a future at the position and while the in-house options are slim, Watson included if we’re being fair, that does not mean the Browns should stop pursuing snaps and opportunities to those who have a chance to solve the position long-term.
That is just one of the important factors here.
The other is that Watson is a damaged product. He has suffered severe injuries to his throwing shoulder as well as his achilles. He’s a quarterback who plays the game in a fashion conducive to more of the same injuries he’s suffered in the last three seasons. He is reckless at best, chaotic, and doesn’t play with the tempo at the position that would help him survive from the pocket and reduce the wear-and-tear on an aging body.
Add all of those facts to the mounting evidence that he has just missed too much time to ever be an average starter again and you have the current conundrum. He’s missed massive portions of seasons every year since 2021. He’s started just 19 games since the end of the 2020 season.
At some point, availability and effectiveness both matter. And neither has been dependable.
The Browns have to move forward, not try to revive something from the past. That means Shedeur Sanders or some other young quarterback gets the opportunity. While not the most appealing it does have an outside chance at solving this long-term. Watson is not that solution and every opportunity given to him wastes time that could be otherwise given to the proper outcome.
The elephant in the room is the contract. Watson’s deal remains one of the largest commitments in franchise history, and the financial implications of moving on are significant. He will be around for another season but that doesn’t mean the franchise should feel the need to commit to him in any way.
But sunk costs cannot determine football strategy.
Continuing to foolishly pursue a pathway with Watson simply because of his contract only compounds the mistake. The Browns have to make decisions based on what gives them the best chance to solve the position moving forward, not what justifies past investments.
Successful franchises recognize when to pivot and you have to hope the Browns and Todd Monken will get this right. The team owes it to its players and fanbase to move forward with a plan focused on the best pathway for their future, not managing past decisions.
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I want two OL and a WR in the first 3 picks and never want to see DW in a Browns uniform again, they really should cut him and eat the dead cap
The only issue i have is if Watson is decidedly better then Gabriel and Sanders in camp how do you look your veteran defensive players in the eye if you don't start him? Those guys are sick of losing and they dont give a shit about a qb of the future they want the best guy on the field now to win. To me that is the problem with our qb room as it is set up.