3 reasons why Cleveland shouldn’t trade for another QB

It’s no secret that one of the biggest question marks surrounding the Cleveland Browns in 2023 has been centered around Deshaun Watson and the team’s quarterback situation.

The Browns have been subjected to a lot of criticism due to the way that they’ve handled this issue both on and off the field. It seems as though they weren’t providing accurate updates in terms of the actual injury designation itself, as well as a projection of the amount of time that it could keep him out.

This uncertainty has naturally led people to ask whether or not Cleveland should acquire another quarterback at the trade deadline. Though a fresh new face in the QB room could sound good right about now, it might not solve the problem. There are a few reasons to be hesitant about this idea.

P.J. Walker might be the best option for the team right now

Depending on the actual availability of guys like Kirk Cousins, Jacoby Brissett, etc., P.J. Walker could very well be the best option for the team. Just because a new player is brought in, doesn’t mean they'll provide better production than Walker.

Yes, Cousins and Brissett (or Ryan Tannehill) might be better overall quarterbacks but it takes a lot of time to get used to an offense and get timing down with receivers. Cousins and Brissett have experience with HC Kevin Stefanski but this offense is different.

While Brissett has experience with many of the pass catchers, his success last year was mostly predicated on Nick Chubb, and route details have changed this year.

Though he hasn’t been a game-changer, he’s making tough throws and completing passes when they matter most.

Why bring in another quarterback, just to bring in another quarterback?

There’s no reason to add more work for the team

If the Browns were to hypothetically make a trade for a quarterback at the trade deadline, that would also mean they’d have to take extra time out to teach them the playbook and bring them up to speed on the nuances and details of the offense. This isn’t something that you want to be doing heading into Week 9 of the season.

It’s also worth noting that whoever they acquire might only be used for 2-3 games if Watson returns. This team has come too far and worked too hard to mess around with the continuity of this offense, even with Walker at the helm.

The Browns don't want to lose more draft capital, spend more cap space

GM Andrew Berry doesn’t want to trade away precious draft capital, regardless of the round. He has done an excellent job of finding value in the later rounds of the NFL Draft and that fact is going to be even more important moving forward.

As of now, Cleveland only has two picks in the first 130 or so selections. Acquiring any quarterback of worth would likely cost one of those picks.

The Browns also have quite a few expensive players on the team, and based on the way that some of their contracts were set up, the bulk of the money is due within the next 2-3 years. Though they’re not technically “strapped for cash” right now, they will be in the future and draft picks will be one of the main tools that they’ll have to build the future depth of this team and any quarterback acquired would eat into cap space even more.

There’s no point in trading away something that has long-term value for a short-term fix.

Agree or disagree? It doesn’t make much sense for the Browns to trade for a quarterback by this week’s NFL trade deadline

Tell us why we were right/wrong in the comment section below