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PALM BEACH, Fla. — The quarterback room remains in the same shape it was in when the Browns started the offseason.
There's one healthy quarterback on the roster. Then there is Deshaun Watson, whose status for most of the upcoming season remains up in the air because of a second surgery on a torn Achilles.
The only thing that has changed is the identity of the healthy quarterback, and that's because the Browns traded one for one. They sent Dorian Thompson-Robinson, along with a fifth-round pick, to the Philadelphia Eagles for Kenny Pickett on the first day of free agency three weeks ago.
"I think that No. 1, we're at March 30; we don't play games till September," general manager Andrew Berry told a small group of Browns beat writers, including the Beacon Journal, Sunday at the NFL owners meetings at The Breakers. "We will continue to build out the quarterback room, no different than the other positional rooms. I'm not really necessarily too worried about that part of it."
Berry acknowledged that Pickett, who was 14-10 as a starter with the Pittsburgh Steelers after they selected him in the first round of the 2022 draft, was someone who had crossed the Browns' mind even a year ago when Pittsburgh traded him to Philadelphia. However, he admitted it was hard to envision a scenario in which the Steelers traded him to one of their chief AFC North rivals.
The Browns are known to have tried for at least one free-agent quarterback. They had a very public meeting on March 13 with 10-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson, but he ultimately elected to join former Browns starter Jameis Winston in signing with the New York Giants last week.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins was in a Westlake Chipotle last Thursday. Berry said Sunday that "it had nothing to do with the Browns."
Other free agents who remain on the board include Carson Wentz, who was the Kansas City Chiefs backup last season, and former Browns starter Joe Flacco, who was the on-again, off-again starter for the Indianapolis Colts last season. Berry wasn't pigeonholing himself to a schedule to add more to the position.
"I think that we're probably just a bit more narrow in our focus in terms of the type of veteran that we think would fit where we are from a roster perspective, where we want that quarterback room to be," Berry said. "I think something could happen before the draft. I think, look, I wouldn't rule it out that it could happen after the draft. I think that's fair as well, but I wouldn't necessarily pin it down to any one timeframe."
Speaking of the draft and definitive answers, one could reasonably expect the Browns to come out of the three days from April 24-26 with a quarterback of some sort. Berry wouldn't say it was definitely going to occur with the No. 2 pick in the draft, and their own actions suggest they're keeping their options open among this year's draft class.
The Browns held a private workout with Miami's Cam Ward two days after his pro day last week, and are scheduled to do the same at some point around Shedeur Sanders' pro day at Colorado later this week. They've held private workouts with Alabama's Jalen Milroe and Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart, and Louisville's Tyler Shough is seen as a possibility as well with a visit to Berea locked in for him.
The likelihood of the latter three being the No. 2 overall pick are slim. That one of that group ends up being as the Browns starter at some point this fall is also something about which Berry avoided being pinned down.
"I am a believer that it totally depends on the player and the situation," Berry said. "I think that every rookie, they kind of act differently. I wish there was a formula or an easy solution to, like, OK, hey, these are the type of guys that hit the ground running. These are the guys that stub their toe and then they figured it out year two. But, unfortunately, that's not the case.
"Look, I'd love for a rookie quarterback to come in and make a seamless transition. But we also have to make sure that the room is situated where if that individual doesn't, they're not necessarily forced into action."
Berry did acknowledge there's a legitimate chance the Browns could have missed out on a potential veteran free agent quarterback because of the fact they're expected to draft one. He wouldn't name a specific example, but wouldn't deny it's a reality for any team in their position.
At some point, though, the Browns will have a completed quarterback room, at least to start the on-field portion of the offseason program. The composition of young to old is up in the air, but Berry said he sees it ending up going in one direction.
"It probably depends more on the player than the actual age," he said. "I'd say this — we'll probably skew young just to be quite frank. I think that that's probably more appropriate relative to our longer term goals."
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Andrew Berry reserving judgment on Browns QB group for now
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There's one healthy quarterback on the roster. Then there is Deshaun Watson, whose status for most of the upcoming season remains up in the air because of a second surgery on a torn Achilles.
The only thing that has changed is the identity of the healthy quarterback, and that's because the Browns traded one for one. They sent Dorian Thompson-Robinson, along with a fifth-round pick, to the Philadelphia Eagles for Kenny Pickett on the first day of free agency three weeks ago.
"I think that No. 1, we're at March 30; we don't play games till September," general manager Andrew Berry told a small group of Browns beat writers, including the Beacon Journal, Sunday at the NFL owners meetings at The Breakers. "We will continue to build out the quarterback room, no different than the other positional rooms. I'm not really necessarily too worried about that part of it."
Berry acknowledged that Pickett, who was 14-10 as a starter with the Pittsburgh Steelers after they selected him in the first round of the 2022 draft, was someone who had crossed the Browns' mind even a year ago when Pittsburgh traded him to Philadelphia. However, he admitted it was hard to envision a scenario in which the Steelers traded him to one of their chief AFC North rivals.
The Browns are known to have tried for at least one free-agent quarterback. They had a very public meeting on March 13 with 10-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson, but he ultimately elected to join former Browns starter Jameis Winston in signing with the New York Giants last week.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins was in a Westlake Chipotle last Thursday. Berry said Sunday that "it had nothing to do with the Browns."
Other free agents who remain on the board include Carson Wentz, who was the Kansas City Chiefs backup last season, and former Browns starter Joe Flacco, who was the on-again, off-again starter for the Indianapolis Colts last season. Berry wasn't pigeonholing himself to a schedule to add more to the position.
"I think that we're probably just a bit more narrow in our focus in terms of the type of veteran that we think would fit where we are from a roster perspective, where we want that quarterback room to be," Berry said. "I think something could happen before the draft. I think, look, I wouldn't rule it out that it could happen after the draft. I think that's fair as well, but I wouldn't necessarily pin it down to any one timeframe."
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Speaking of the draft and definitive answers, one could reasonably expect the Browns to come out of the three days from April 24-26 with a quarterback of some sort. Berry wouldn't say it was definitely going to occur with the No. 2 pick in the draft, and their own actions suggest they're keeping their options open among this year's draft class.
The Browns held a private workout with Miami's Cam Ward two days after his pro day last week, and are scheduled to do the same at some point around Shedeur Sanders' pro day at Colorado later this week. They've held private workouts with Alabama's Jalen Milroe and Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart, and Louisville's Tyler Shough is seen as a possibility as well with a visit to Berea locked in for him.
The likelihood of the latter three being the No. 2 overall pick are slim. That one of that group ends up being as the Browns starter at some point this fall is also something about which Berry avoided being pinned down.
"I am a believer that it totally depends on the player and the situation," Berry said. "I think that every rookie, they kind of act differently. I wish there was a formula or an easy solution to, like, OK, hey, these are the type of guys that hit the ground running. These are the guys that stub their toe and then they figured it out year two. But, unfortunately, that's not the case.
"Look, I'd love for a rookie quarterback to come in and make a seamless transition. But we also have to make sure that the room is situated where if that individual doesn't, they're not necessarily forced into action."
Berry did acknowledge there's a legitimate chance the Browns could have missed out on a potential veteran free agent quarterback because of the fact they're expected to draft one. He wouldn't name a specific example, but wouldn't deny it's a reality for any team in their position.
At some point, though, the Browns will have a completed quarterback room, at least to start the on-field portion of the offseason program. The composition of young to old is up in the air, but Berry said he sees it ending up going in one direction.
"It probably depends more on the player than the actual age," he said. "I'd say this — we'll probably skew young just to be quite frank. I think that that's probably more appropriate relative to our longer term goals."
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Andrew Berry reserving judgment on Browns QB group for now
Continue reading...
