BOMBSHELL! – Browns Must Choose Between Two Veteran QBs

News of veteran quarterback Russell Wilson visiting the Cleveland Browns on Thursday brought out plenty of vitriol from the Cleveland faithful on the first day of the new league year.

In many ways, that’s to be expected when the city’s beloved football team is linked to a quarterback of its most hated rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The exact thing happened earlier in the week when news of the Browns trade for former Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett was first announced as well.

There’s just a certain level of toxicity associated with players from that team.

But while fans expressed a varying scale of reactions, ranging from firing shots at the Super Bowl-winning QB to swearing off Browns football entirely, there seemed to be some critical nuance lacking from the conversation.

Multiple things can be true at once. A 36-year-old Russell Wilson isn’t going to solve Cleveland’s quarterback conundrum this offseason. That is a very fair and reasoned opinion to have if you’re not into Wilson.

It’s also important to understand, though, that Wilson is just one of many flawed quarterback options available in free agency this year. From Sam Darnold, to Mac Jones, and anyone in between, throw out a name, and it was easy to mount an assertive defense against it.

This offseason began with an understanding that the Browns were bargain-bin shopping when it came to the quarterback position, and now only the most picked-over items remain.

Names like Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, maybe Kirk Cousins if the Atlanta Falcons decide they don’t want to pick up his $10 million roster bonus, remain. None of them are without flaws.

Beggars can’t be choosers here, though. And the Browns are beggars at the moment. The process of finding a new veteran QB was always about identifying the lesser of evils for Cleveland.

Who that is can be debated between podcast hosts or beers at your local watering hole. But this is always where the Browns would end up at quarterback in 2025. Deciding which imperfect, aging veteran could give them the highest ceiling while understanding he’d also come with a low floor.

If Wilson isn’t your cup of tea, that’s fine. But as veteran bridge QBs go, the Browns could certainly do worse.

Don’t lose sight of the real prize: a rookie QB will be joining the fold next month, more than likely as the No. 2 overall in the NFL Draft.