Cleveland.com’s Terry Pluto predicts the Browns will skip drafting a quarterback with the No. 6 or No. 24 picks in April, instead prioritizing a retooled offensive line after a brittle 2025 season. Pluto also questions a high-cost free-agent approach, suggesting Mac Jones—as a low-cost, one-year option—could emerge as the leading challenger to rookie Shedeur Sanders.
Jones, coming off a 2025 season with the San Francisco 49ers where he posted 2,151 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions in 11 games (eight starts), would cost the Browns roughly $2.8 million in base salary for 2026. Pluto argues Cleveland could acquire Jones for a mid-level draft cost (a third-round pick) and evaluate him for a single season before deciding on longer-term terms.
Pluto contrasts this with other potential paths, including Malik Willis as a high-cost, high-upside option. ESPN’s Ben Solak proposed Willis as a target for free agency, suggesting a $30 million-per-year deal to serve as a developmental starter, given Willis’s tools and a coaching fit with Monken. The discussion reflects Cleveland’s broader strategy: balance cap considerations with upside at quarterback while addressing a vulnerable offensive line that hindered performance in 2025.
The Browns hold the No. 70 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, their only third-round selection, in a draft class where cap management and positional depth will shape early decisions. As conversations continue, the team’s approach appears to combine prudent cap use with the potential for a cost-effective, competitive quarterback race led by Mac Jones or similar options, rather than a blockbuster free-agent commitment.
