{"id":789205,"date":"2026-03-03T14:40:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T14:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/789205\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T14:40:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T14:40:20","slug":"offensive-linemen-quarterback-options-and-really-deep-holes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/789205\/","title":{"rendered":"Offensive Linemen, Quarterback Options, and Really Deep Holes"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND, Ohio (TheOBR.com<\/a>) I have a doctor\u2019s appointment later this morning, so I\u2019m not allowed to eat breakfast yet. That puts me in a bit of a cranky mood, so prepare yourself for some patented aging-sportswriter crankiness. <\/p>\n

Yesterday\u2019s stories, as I discovered in my morning traipse through the interwebs, focused on two major topics: The Browns\u2019 trade for OL Tytus Howard<\/a> and the fact that the Browns are digging a really deep hole<\/a> in Brook Park. Enough dirt will be shoved around to create a hole 80 feet deep. The reason for the latter is to ostensibly make room for a new stadium that is largely dug into the ground and later filled with cash and yachts, at least based on the facility\u2019s cost. <\/p>\n

All that is well and good. Howard is a 30-year-old, $20 million player, and the Texans seem to have an aversion to offensive linemen at that age. For reference: Tunsil, Laremy. But for the Browns, needing to reboot their entire offensive line, Howard makes sense. Among other things, he\u2019s very flexible about where he can play on the line, although he prefers right tackle. The Browns now have a new part they can play around the line based on where future opportunities arise as they fill out the rest of the unit. That may very well not be a right tackle, given that the top two prospects expected to be taken in the top ten of the draft are right tackles (Spencer Fano and Francis Mauigoa). Flexibility is a valuable asset. <\/p>\n

As far as the Browns\u2019 hole in the ground, I have no comment since my \u201cdigging in the dirt\u201d days are behind me. I haven\u2019t aggressively dug in the dirt since I was about five or so, beyond the occasional forced shoveling when my family gets it in their heads that we need a garden in a particular year. <\/p>\n

Despite yesterday\u2019s focus on offensive linemen and dirt, I am lured to talk about the other constant drumbeat I hear that\u2019s been pounding in our collective noggins for nearly 30 years now: Quarterback. Beyond some promise shown by Shedeur Sanders late in the 2025 season, the Browns still appear to be unsold on anyone in their quarterback room, as marked by all the podium comments about \u201copen competition\u201d for the starting job last week. <\/p>\n

This opens the door more than a crack for speculation about what the Browns might do at the game\u2019s most important position. Two names have been mentioned a lot in the last few days. <\/p>\n

Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!<\/p>\n

THE DAILY BLOVIATION<\/p>\n

This first is Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, who has having a sort of post-season revival in his fortunes as hopeful teams focus on the earlier part of his 2025 season before he got hurt as an indicator of his true potential. Todd McShay, rarely shy to offer an outside-the-box opinion, spent time on Kay Adams\u2019 show yesterday speculating that Simpson could go as high as #6<\/a> to the Browns. The team is apparently putting in a \u201cton of work\u201d<\/a> on him.<\/p>\n

Part of the reason, ostensibly, for tying the Browns to Simpson is new head coach Todd Monken\u2019s familiarity with him<\/a>, although it\u2019s rare to see new head coaches from college to focus exclusively on players they dealt with as college coaches. Browns fans might be excused for thinking that\u2019s not the case, simply because of their experience with Miami\u2019s Butch Davis, who seemed to relish drafting players he couldn\u2019t recruit. But in most cases, as Pete and Lane emphasized in last night\u2019s Gang of Three<\/a>, this familiarity isn\u2019t a driving factor in selecting players. <\/p>\n

Regardless, Simpson is clearly having a post-season resurgence, which may pull him into the Browns\u2019 focus in at the 24th selection, at least, and certainly at #39 should he fall that far (unlikely). Bringing Simpson in would certainly give the upcoming 2026 a charge of excitement that it currently appears to lack. <\/p>\n

If the Browns aren\u2019t going draft a quarterback, they may turn to a reclamation project or an older veteran to create the competition they seem to crave. One name that\u2019s popped up in recent days<\/a> is that of Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson, the high-upside, low-results quarterback drafted 4th overall by the Colts in 2023. Like Simpson, he had only one year of experience starting at the college level. <\/p>\n

He certainly fits into the basic mold of an intriguing reclamation project who might respond to Monken\u2019s coaching. A combination of injuries, incredible inconsistency, and dubious focus on his part led to the Colts bringing in Daniel Jones, who revived his career and became the team\u2019s starter. The Colts are expected to extend Jones and focus on him in 2026 and moving forward. Richardson is being offered around. <\/p>\n

Richardson was not a popular choice for Lane and Pete last night for multiple reasons, and I left convinced that he\u2019s not the answer. Richardson was drafted very young who put together some good tape early, but has been unable to put together consistent performances. <\/p>\n

He seems like the wrong move for a team like the Browns, who need to raise the floor of their quarterback room via competition, and Richardson\u2019s floor has been well established. The more time goes on, the more I\u2019m tempted to believe that the team should bring in a capable veteran (Geno Smith, Jacoby Brisset) to change the dynamic of the quarterback room, help the youngsters learn how to adapt to the NFL, and provide some assurance of competent play at the position as the team awaits April 2027 and its promising draft class. <\/p>\n

A top quarterback drafted in 2027 might theoretically be hitting his stride in 2029, when that big hole has had (expensive) seats built into it. That\u2019s where things seem to be heading. <\/p>\n

Have a good one! GO BROWNS!<\/p>\n

Newswire Bloviation Archive<\/a><\/p>\n

OBR GOODIES<\/p>\n

OBR VIDEO<\/p>\n

– Gang of Three: Trade Szn Is a Go<\/a><\/p>\n

OBR ARTICLES<\/p>\n

– Looking At Tytus Howard\u2019s Potential Cleveland Browns Contract<\/a><\/p>\n

– Cleveland Browns Agree to Trade to Acquire OT Tytus Howard<\/a><\/p>\n

– No Secret the Browns Need a Game-Breaking Wide Receiver, but will they use the Top Pick on One of These Three<\/a><\/p>\n

– Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 03\/02\/26: The Combine Does Its Thing<\/a><\/p>\n

– Cleveland Browns Film Room: Should the Browns Take the Risk on Malik Willis?<\/a><\/p>\n

FROM THE FORUMS<\/p>\n

ASK THE INSIDERS (VI<\/a>P)<\/p>\n

–<\/a> Tier 2 FA Centers, and Howard\u2019s position<\/a><\/p>\n

– Spending on a QB in 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

– Malik Willis<\/a><\/p>\n

– Tier 2 FA Centers, and Howard\u2019s position<\/a><\/p>\n

– Claim<\/a><\/p>\n

– Linderbaum<\/a><\/p>\n

– Free agent tackle?<\/a><\/p>\n

– Biadasz?<\/a><\/p>\n

– Jawaan Taylor<\/a><\/p>\n

– Spending on a QB in 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

– Is Monroe Freeling still possible @ 24?<\/a><\/p>\n

– Lane your comment not at 6<\/a><\/p>\n

– Breaking Ground at Huntington Bank Field (Dome)<\/a><\/p>\n

– @Pete – After the Combine, which WR do you like at #6?<\/a><\/p>\n

– Scheming Titus Howard in the Run Game<\/a><\/p>\n

– Thoughts on RT trade Tytus Howard<\/a><\/p>\n

– Second post<\/a><\/p>\n

– Kingsley Eguakun<\/a><\/p>\n

– Pre-free Agency trades<\/a><\/p>\n

– WR trade ?? Rank 1-5 possibilities<\/a><\/p>\n

RUMOR CENTRAL (VI<\/a>P)<\/p>\n

–<\/a> Offensive Line Additions<\/a><\/p>\n

– Anthony Richardson<\/a><\/p>\n

THE WATERCOOLER<\/a><\/p>\n

– <\/a>Official Ground Breaking for New Dome<\/a><\/p>\n

– How far back is everyone willing to trade in Round 1?<\/a><\/p>\n

– Browns questions that I am curious about ……….<\/a><\/p>\n

– For Anyone Considering Jawaan Taylor at OT<\/a><\/p>\n

– Graphic depiction of our \u201chit and miss\u201d rate in the mid rounds<\/a><\/p>\n

– RT Tytus Howard traded to Browns<\/a><\/p>\n

– LiveWire Thread for 3\/2 – Twitter, Video, Articles<\/a><\/p>\n

– Would You Trade Pick #6 to Cinci?<\/a><\/p>\n

– Does the Howard trade make an outlier pick possible?<\/a><\/p>\n

– Real Mock – Post Combine Edition<\/a><\/p>\n

THE LIFT<\/p>\n

Positive news from the world of sports and beyond…<\/p>\n

– NFL Delivers Net-Zero Super Bowl with Substantial Recycling of Trash and Other Materials<\/a><\/p>\n

– Stanford Cures Type-1 Diabetes in Mice Without Insulin or Immune Suppression<\/a><\/p>\n

– The brain after blindness: How newly-sighted people build a visual world<\/a><\/p>\n

Three interesting (to me, at least) stories found on the \u201cGood News\u201d part of my morning internet feeds. I notice that there\u2019s very little overlap between my \u201cgood news\u201d feeds and my \u201cCleveland Browns\u201d feeds. Sigh. Curing Type-1 diabetes would be a huge advancement forward for human health and well-being. Diabetes sucks. <\/p>\n

WRAPPING UP<\/p>\n

When not heading to Brook Park with his shovel, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride<\/a> or write him at barry@theobr.com<\/a> if you are so compelled.<\/p>\n

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