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Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis could be a trade target for the Browns.
The Cleveland Browns‘ quarterback room may not be finished taking shape before the NFL Draft — and two former high picks could be the answer.
With Will Levis and Anthony Richardson both available via trade, CBS Sports NFL Draft writer Josh Edwards told 92.3 The Fan on Friday that the Browns figure to be involved in those conversations heading into draft weekend.
“I think that Will Levis and Anthony Richardson will be moved before the draft, so I think the Browns are going to be in that conversation for those two players,” Edwards said. “That’s a more worthwhile dart throw than going down the route of a Carson Beck or Drew Allar.”
Levis has been effectively placed on the trade block in Tennessee after the Titans signed Mitchell Trubisky to a two-year deal, leaving the former second-round pick without a clear role behind former No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.
Richardson, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft, was granted permission to seek a trade by Indianapolis after the Colts signed Daniel Jones to a two-year, $88 million extension. ESPN’s Adam Schefter has described Richardson’s trade market as “soft,” saying that if there was a real market for him, the Colts would have already moved him.
Browns’ Addition to QB Room Could be Coming
Cleveland did not add a quarterback in free agency, entering the offseason with Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel as its options.
General manager Andrew Berry left the door open this week for one more addition, with a stated preference on the type.
“Our lean would be if we do add someone to the quarterback room, it would be someone who’s a younger player most likely,” Berry told reporters. “But I can’t state that definitively because I don’t know what the next couple of weeks will hold.
“Anyone that we bring in at any spot on the roster, our thought is that they’re competing. They’re competing to play. They have something that we like in their skill set. And our expectation would be for them to work harder.”
The draft seems like the logical route for that strategy, with the Browns looking to the later rounds. But Richardson, 23, and Levis, 26, are still on the younger side and could fit that need.
Browns Set Stage for QB Battle
The Browns have dubbed it an open competition among the current group of quarterbacks. But new head coach Todd Monken said that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone will get an equal number of reps.
“I don’t see it that way,” Monken said. “I wouldn’t say they’re going to be evenly dispersed, but we’ll definitely disperse them to give ourselves a chance to at least evaluate who we have on the roster, whoever that might be as we go through the offseason.”
As it stands, it looks like Sanders will be getting the first crack at proving himself. He started the final seven games last season as a fifth-round rookie, passing for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
“By basically what we’ve seen in the past and where the year ended last year,” Monken said on how the reps will initially be distributed.
Watson is also expected to be prominently in the mix, despite missing all of last season recovering from two Achilles surgeries.
J.R. DeGroote JR DeGroote is a staff writer for Heavy.com, where he has covered the NFL, NBA, and trending sports stories since 2019. His work focuses on some of the most passionate fanbases in sports, including reporting on the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Lakers. More about J.R. DeGroote
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