INDIANAPOLIS — With the annual NFL Scouting Combine set to begin, our Cleveland Browns quarterback tracker this week addresses three questions the team can try to answer during its time in Indianapolis.

Who’s chasing a starting QB?

Ultimately, Malik Willis might not want to join the Browns. Or maybe they’ll choose other avenues in two weeks (and two months). But if Cleveland wants to make a run at Willis, it could become a real suitor. Private conversations this week might give the Browns a sense of where things stand with Willis and which teams might pursue him ahead of the March 9 start of the NFL’s player movement period.

Willis, 26, has made only six career starts. He saw real action in only three games last season. But he’s mobile, has shown growth as a passer and has strong deep-ball ability. After the Tennessee Titans gave up on him at the end of the 2024 preseason, Willis made major strides in two seasons with the Green Bay Packers and stands to cash in as the clear No. 1 free-agent quarterback.

Wills completed 30 of the 35 passes he threw in 2025, and new Browns coach Todd Monken was on the other sideline when Willis impressed against the Baltimore Ravens in his only start last season. Per TruMedia, Willis was 17-of-20 on passes thrown at least 15 yards downfield over his two years in Green Bay.

Willis will sign somewhere to become a starter, and he could get as much as $35 million to $40 million in guaranteed money.

We can figure the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins are looking for starting quarterbacks, but they might not be involved at the top of the market. We’re uncertain whether the Arizona Cardinals will move on from Kyler Murray. Among the teams in the “maybe” category are the Browns, Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Minnesota might just want a veteran mentor and fallback option for J.J. McCarthy. Or, the Vikings could clear some salary-cap space and try to keep Willis in the NFC North.

The Kansas City Chiefs probably need a temporary starter while Patrick Mahomes completes his rehab from a torn ACL, and the Indianapolis Colts figure to bring back Daniel Jones, who’s eligible for free agency. If the Steelers don’t bring back Aaron Rodgers, they could pursue Willis.

The Browns will weigh all quarterback options before deciding whether to give Shedeur Sanders a chance to enter his second season as the starter. If they sign Willis or trade for Mac Jones, they’d be adding a clear-cut starter. In almost any other case, Sanders would be in the mix as the team heads toward the April start of the offseason program under Monken.

At some point in the next two weeks, the Browns figure to restructure Deshaun Watson’s contract to free up around $40 million in cap space. That would ensure Watson, who hasn’t played since October 2024 because of a twice-torn right Achilles tendon, would be on the team for 2026, the final year of his deal.

The Browns have Sanders, Watson and Dillon Gabriel under contract. Though Monken and Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry will address reporters this week, don’t expect any real public answers about the team’s quarterback plans.

How much does experience matter?

Though Willis has shown flashes of high-level play, he’s never led a team for a month — let alone a season. The top potential quarterback trade target, Mac Jones, has 57 career starts over five seasons and is under contract through 2026.

The combine is about collecting information on draft prospects and figuring out what teams (and agents) are thinking for the start of the player movement period. If the Browns were to seriously consider a trade for Jones, Anthony Richardson of the Colts or Tanner McKee of the Philadelphia Eagles, the week in Indianapolis could be used to gauge the market for those players and potentially begin conversations.

All three are signed through only 2026 and are due to make around the veteran minimum base salary.

The San Francisco 49ers won five of Jones’ eight starts in 2025, and he had a career-best 69.6 completion percentage. The 49ers won’t give Jones away, but if there are several suitors, they could ask for multiple picks in return. Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said in January the team doesn’t plan to trade Jones, but the right offer could change that — and Brock Purdy is locked in as San Francisco’s quarterback.

Richardson made 15 starts over his first two seasons but saw no significant action in 2025. The 2023 No. 4 pick doesn’t turn 24 until May and might be seeking a fresh start. The Browns have 10 picks in this year’s draft, including three fifth-rounders. It’s possible — probably even likely — they’ll try to turn at least one of their third-day picks into veteran help across the offensive line or at wide receiver. It’s possible, too, the Browns could pursue a trade to fill out their quarterbacks group.

Jones will be viewed as a surefire starter by potential trade partners, which is why the 49ers might ask for a second-rounder. If the Browns traded a third-day pick for Richardson, they’d likely be adding him to a summer quarterback competition and keeping their future options open.

Cleveland’s 2025 draft-day trade that included the acquisition of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2026 first-rounder was probably earmarked by Berry as the pick meant to help acquire a quarterback. However, the Browns might end up using both selections to address other offensive areas and then decide whether to give Sanders the first crack at the job or pursue a player such as Willis, Jones or McKee, who’s made two starts over his three seasons in Philadelphia.

What’s to like about the passing prospects in this draft?

In a quarterback class that seems to lack depth, it’s a big week for Alabama’s Ty Simpson and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier.

Simpson, a one-year college starter, had an outstanding start to the 2025 season but faded late while playing through a back injury. Nussmeier considered entering last year’s draft but returned to LSU and had a nightmare season that ended with a November abdominal injury. Nussmeier was cleared to participate in the Senior Bowl in January.

For Simpson and Nussmeier, the standard NFL combine medical checks will become a big part of how teams evaluate them.

On the top 100 prospects list released earlier this month by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Simpson was No. 34, Nussmeier was No. 82 and no other quarterback besides projected No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza cracked the top 100.

Among the quarterback prospects hoping to use this week to boost their draft stock and potentially become top 100 picks are Cole Payton of North Dakota State, Taylen Green of Arkansas and Drew Allar of Penn State. Allar, a native Northeast Ohioan, is recovering from a broken ankle that ended his final college season in October, so his first workout in front of NFL evaluators might not come until Penn State’s pro day. NFL Network reported Simpson plans to participate in Saturday’s passing workout at the combine.

If the Browns don’t land a veteran starter and Simpson uses this week to show he’s healthy and potentially worthy of a first-round pick, things could get interesting in April with the Los Angeles Rams holding picks No. 13 and 29, the at No. 16, the Steelers at No. 21 and the Browns with their second first-round pick at No. 24.

NFL MVP Matthew Stafford announced earlier this month he’ll play for the Rams in 2026, but he’s 38 and Los Angeles might be using this draft to plan for its future.

In late January, Senior Bowl executive director Drew Fabianich said Payton was invited to the Senior Bowl, per the request of NFL teams who wanted to see his arm and mobility in person. Payton was a one-year starter at North Dakota State and projects as a third- or fourth-round developmental pick, depending on how he performs in the final stage of the predraft process.