{"id":12237,"date":"2025-01-30T14:10:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T14:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=12237"},"modified":"2025-01-30T14:10:00","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T14:10:00","slug":"breaking-browns-keeping-close-eye-on-top-qb-prospects-at-senior-bowl-practices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=12237","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING : Browns keeping close eye on top QB prospects at Senior Bowl practices"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"CLEVELAND,<\/p>\n

MOBILE, Ala. \u2014 Early in the first of two Senior Bowl practices Wednesday, Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski watched the quarterbacks intently from the sideline, not far from where the three National team passers were going through one-on-one drills.<\/p>\n

As the practice progressed and the quarterbacks moved, Stefanski did as well. When the American team\u2019s quarterbacks started a full drill during the afternoon session, Stefanski left the sideline and stood on the hashmark, angling for the best view.<\/p>\n

Nothing is surprising about Stefanski\u2019s actions. The Browns are obviously on a quarterback search, which is why the head coach is here. General manager Andrew Berry and his top lieutenants are here, too. And though they\u2019re watching around 140 draft prospects at all positions, the quarterback search is the headline story of an important offseason and the top internal priority.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe generally go into free agency with the idea that we\u2019d like to go into the draft with the ability to line up and play at all our known spots so that we are not either directly or indirectly influenced by need (and) can make the best long-term bets for the organization,\u201d Berry said. \u201cThat being said, we are taking a little bit more of a longer-term focus with this offseason than maybe we\u2019ve had the past two.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Deshaun Watson injured and out of the team\u2019s planning for 2025 \u2014 and almost certainly beyond \u2014 the Browns know they\u2019ll be adding at least two quarterbacks in the coming months. Berry was adamant that the Browns don\u2019t feel forced to use the No. 2 overall pick on a signal caller, but they might. And though the top two passers in this year\u2019s class aren\u2019t here, Cleveland is evaluating and interviewing seven draftable quarterbacks this week as it moves closer toward weighing its veteran options, creating salary-cap space and finalizing draft strategies.<\/p>\n

No plan is set. The draft board isn\u2019t set, either, though the team\u2019s most thorough pre-draft meetings are in the next few weeks. Berry is open for business on potential trades and is watching closely as other teams make contract-related decisions on veteran quarterbacks, so the plans will have to be flexible. Ultimately, Berry and the decision-makers have to get it right and fix the Browns\u2019 situation at the game\u2019s most important position.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no idea (how it will go). I really don\u2019t,\u201d Berry said. \u201cI\u2019d like to tell you I knew the answer to that question. I\u2019m not a very patient person and just as curious as you all are. But we\u2019ve really got to let this work out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2024 team lost six straight to finish a 3-14 season, and by the end, Cleveland had turned to its 40th starting quarterback of the post-1999 Browns era. The search for No. 41 and likely No. 42 will be mostly secretive, but it\u2019s brought the Browns to the Senior Bowl this week \u2014 and it\u2019s obvious enough that both Stefanski and Berry are talking about who and what they\u2019re watching, at least to an extent.<\/p>\n

Last weekend, the Browns\u2019 contingent visited the East-West Shrine Game practices near Dallas, Texas, to interview former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who\u2019s considered one of the top two passers in this class and a possible selection for the Browns at No. 2. Cam Ward of Miami is the other top quarterback in this draft, and he chose not to attend a postseason all-star game.<\/p>\n

So if the Browns are taking a quarterback second overall, that player probably isn\u2019t a Senior Bowl participant. But if they wait, they could be watching their next quarterback \u2014 maybe Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe or Tyler Shough \u2014 here this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to go into our specific evaluations, but I think (Sanders and Ward) are\u00a0both very high-quality prospects,\u201d Berry said. \u201cSo, we\u2019re looking forward to spending more time with them and everything. But they\u2019re both good kids and they\u2019re very talented.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy told reporters that Dart\u2019s commitment to the game drew the strongest reaction from NFL scouts and execs among the seven quarterbacks who are here. Though Nagy said he was excited to see the quarterbacks perform this week, he offered a blunt assessment of the early scouting reports of this year\u2019s draft class. He said that headed into Senior Bowl week, none of this year\u2019s draftable quarterbacks would have graded among the top six in the 2024 class, where they were all taken in the first 12 picks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tend to stay away from those type of comparisons, at least publicly,\u201d Berry said. \u201cThe one thing I\u2019d say is, generally speaking, you think about some of the quarterbacks that played last weekend: (Patrick) Mahomes, he was the 10th pick in the draft. Josh Allen, he was the seventh pick in the draft. Jalen Hurts was the 53rd pick in the draft. Look at Lamar Jackson, he was the 32nd pick in the draft. So I think sometimes that narrative gets a bit overblown. It\u2019s not like everyone that plays quarterback went No. 1 or No. 2. I think it\u2019s more about, \u2018Hey, does this individual have a skill set that you can build a high-level offense around? And are you committed organizationally to put the pieces, coaching players, support structure to do that?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there are talented passers in this draft, and I would have a hard time believing that there\u2019s not at least one guy (at the Senior Bowl) who will be a quality starter \u2014 if not more. I think a big part of it with these guys really is environment (and) surrounding them with the right environment that allows us to maximize them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stefanski told SiriusXM NFL Radio the obvious: that he\u2019s here to evaluate up close during these practices and listen intently during interviews as the Browns continue to search for the players they believe fit best.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s always about getting exposure to these players,\u201d Stefanski said. \u201cYou watch them on tape and you just want to see them up close. You do pro days, you do private visits (later in the spring), but this is just about being at field level and getting to see these guys.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe already know a lot about these guys (because) our scouts do a wonderful job. So in the interviews, you\u2019re maybe getting into the X\u2019s and O\u2019s \u2026 just getting to know them and what they\u2019re about.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Browns have four assistant coaches working at the Senior Bowl, most notably special teams coach Bubba Ventrone as head coach of the American team and defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire as defensive coordinator of the National team. Ventrone\u2019s team has Milroe, Dart, Notre Dame\u2019s Riley Leonard and Seth Henigan of Memphis as its quarterbacks.<\/p>\n

For coaches and evaluators, Senior Bowl practices allow the eyes of the NFL to see prospects in a pro-like structure. With Ventrone running some meetings and freely able to check in on others, the Browns are getting extra insight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt us being here with eyes on these players gives an advantage in getting to know the players who are here,\u201d Ventrone said. \u201cYou get to see how the players take the coaching, how they prepare, how they interact with each other. When you\u2019re making a film correction, you want to see if a player has the ability to apply it to the next day, the next practice, the next rep.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor our quarterbacks, you\u2019re gonna have to adapt to different guys catching passes in this setting. And maybe the chemistry isn\u2019t as clean as you want it to be, but my honest assessment is they\u2019re out there practicing and the guys here love football. They\u2019re showing they want to compete. It\u2019s been a good experience with those guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Stefanski said the Browns know they\u2019re looking for a player who \u201cloves the game. He\u2019s got to love everything that comes with this game.\u201d Stylistically, Stefanski said the Browns \u201chave had different (types of) guys that we\u2019ve won with, so we believe in our system and a system that\u2019s going to adapt to our best players. And certainly, you\u2019re thinking about the quarterback position when it comes to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Berry also said the Browns don\u2019t feel they need a certain style of quarterback or don\u2019t feel stuck taking one at No. 2 just because they have a premium pick.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s part of the offensive staff\u2019s job and why, with Kevin and (new offensive coordinator) Tommy (Rees), we feel really good about them, is their ability to adjust to the strengths of your quarterback,\u201d Berry said. \u201cBecause if you\u2019re just that narrow (with your thinking), you\u2019re gonna sacrifice quality for style. It\u2019s hard enough to find high-level starters (that) you just can\u2019t afford to be narrow-minded.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, it\u2019s the most important position, so you\u2019re gonna do a whole bunch of work on it every year, regardless of where your roster is. But you also don\u2019t want to force it if the right guy isn\u2019t there and feel compelled to reach at that spot. I don\u2019t think there are any hard truths about what you have to do at the top of the draft. I think the big thing is you have to do everything in your power to help you make the right decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

With three months until the draft and six weeks until the start of the player movement period, we\u2019ll be following the lead of Berry and Stefanski and watching closely all the way.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry know they must get it right at the game’s most important position.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12238,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[202],"class_list":["post-12237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cleveland-browns","tag-cleveland-browns"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING : Browns keeping close eye on top QB prospects at Senior Bowl practices - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=12237\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING : Browns keeping close eye on top QB prospects at Senior Bowl practices - 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