The Cleveland Browns have struggled for the past quarter century at one of the most important positions on the field: quarterback.

After quarterback Deshaun Watson went down this season, the Browns turned to Jameis Winston.

Winston became the 39th player in the past 25 seasons to have started at least one game at the position.

That much instability at quarterback is part of the reason Cleveland has made just four postseason appearances during that time, especially as the league’s offenses have developed into pass-friendly schemes.

It’s also why nearly each 2025 NFL mock draft has linked the Browns to a quarterback.

Analyst Chris Trapasso’s most recent draft is no different.

In his latest mock draft, the analyst has the Browns as the No. 5 overall selection, taking Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.

“Who knows what the Browns will do in 2025 with Deshaun Watson, but even if ownership wants its uber-expensive quarterback on the field next season, he will be coming off a torn Achilles, which can sometimes be a 12-month injury,” Trapasso wrote, adding, “Here, Cleveland essentially stashes the high-upside Milroe on the roster.”

The Browns have a 2-7 record, and they are currently tied with seven other franchises for the worst record in the league.

Cleveland could continue to lose contests and advance further up the draft rankings, and only one other quarterback – Miami’s Cam Ward – is listed above Milroe in the recent projections.

Trapasso also has quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Garrett Nussmeier as potential top 10 picks, going to the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants, respectively.

Browns Top Suitor for Rival $19 Million QB to Replace Deshaun Watson

The Cleveland Browns don’t have any options to replace injured QB Deshaun Watson this season outside of flawed starter Jameis Winston, but that will all change come the offseason.

Cleveland is a top candidate to select a rookie quarterback early in the 2025 NFL draft, but the Browns are also one of nine teams that currently have two wins this season. If the draft were held today, the franchise would pick No. 5 overall.

However, Winston showed that he has the talent to lead the team to unexpected victories when Cleveland bested the Baltimore Ravens in the surprise outcome of Week 8. If he does that a few more times this year, the Browns may play themselves out of one of the top QB prospects in the upcoming draft — all of whom would be unlikely to go inside the top-10 in most classes.

That doesn’t mean Cleveland won’t be in the position to reach for a signal caller next April, but even then, a rookie QB isn’t exactly the ideal candidate for an expensive roster that general manager Andrew Berry built to win now.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields. Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

A superior option may be to draft a QB later in round one, or perhaps in rounds two or three, and take a one-year flier on a free agent with upside. Enter Justin Fields of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Cleveland’s AFC North Division rival didn’t move Fields at the trade deadline earlier this week, despite demoting him in favor of Russell Wilson a couple of games back. It is highly unlikely that Pittsburgh will keep both Fields and Wilson in 2025, and the Steelers have already made their preference in that regard crystal clear.

Fields is in the final year of his $19 million rookie contract and will be a free agent in March, which makes him a more than reasonable candidate for the Browns to target, as Watson has ended his last two campaigns with season-ending injuries and has been bad in the limited time he has seen on the field over the past three years.

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently dubbed Fields the 10th-best free agent overall heading into next offseason and named the Browns the top suitor for his services.

“If a team isn’t sold on prospects like Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, it may be eager to take a flier on Fields instead,” Knox wrote on Wednesday, Nov. 6. “Teams seeking a new long-term quarterback plan – possibly on a budget – like the Browns and [New York] Jets may target Fields early in free agency.”

Fields went 4-2 as the Steelers starter across the first six games of the 2024 campaign, accounting for 10 TDs compared to just 1 INT over that stretch. He is an elite threat to run the ball from the position as well, posting the second-most rushing yards ever from the QB spot (1,143 yards and 8 TDs on 7.1 yards per carry) with the Chicago Bears in 2022.