Dorsey: Quarterback is the top priority

GM says signal caller is vital to winning

John Dorsey, introduced Dec. 8 as the Browns’ new general manager, gets it.

“This is a quarterback-driven league,” Dorsey said at his introductory news conference. “We all know that. We all know to go farther and farther and farther, you need one of those guys.”

Anyone who says, “No kidding?” hasn’t been paying attention to what has happened in Berea the last couple of years. The Browns in 2016 traded the pick the Eagles used to draft Carson Wentz. A year later they traded the pick the Texans used on Deshaun Watson. Watson is recovering from a knee injury suffered in practice Nov. 8, but they are two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.

“It’s going to take a while to put a plan together,” Dorsey said. “The draft is 4½ months away. Free agency is three months away. We have ample time to make a plan here.”

Dorsey has spent 26 years in player personnel. He was general manager of the Chiefs from

“You have to have the physical skills. Feet are important in today’s football. Accuracy is very important.” – GM John Dorsey, talking about quarterback prospects

2013 to 2016. One of his first moves was to acquire quarterback Alex Smith in a trade with the 49ers.

Dorsey listed what he looks for in a quarterback, saying he liked Browns rookie DeShone Kizer coming out of Notre Dame.

“You have to win, No. 1,” Dorsey said. “You have to have the physical skills. Feet are important in today’s football. Accuracy is very important. Do they have the mindset of the head coach? Can they comprehend

and digest that playbook?

“Do guys naturally gravitate to him from a leadership component. What does he do in adverse situations? How does he react? Can he extend the play? Can he drive it and win at the end of the game? These are the little things you look for.”

Dorsey making quarterback a priority is important because the Browns, at 0-12, are in line for the first pick in the 2018 draft. Josh Rosen of UCLA and Sam Darnold of Southern Cal are two quarterbacks that might be available.

Browns owner Jimmy

Haslam, who introduced Dorsey to the media, would not answer directly when asked whether fired Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown choosing to pass on Wentz and Watson figured in his being dismissed. In fact, Dorsey rescued Haslam before he could answer.

“Each year, each draft is different, and how people evaluate different positions,” Dorsey said. “You never know in those situations. That’s what the beauty of the draft is in terms of ‘This could have been or this could have been.’ But you just better

make sure at the end of the day, you better get one of these guys.” But the Browns didn’t. “Let me say it this way,” Haslam said when Dorsey was done. “The Cleveland Browns are not going to be successful until we get a quarterback.

“We obviously have DeShone and two other quarterbacks on the roster. We’re going to look at free agency, and we’re going to look at the draft. We’re going to do whatever it takes to find a quarterback to be successful.”

Twenty-eight quarterbacks have started for the Browns since 1999.

JEFF SCHUDEL — THE NEWS-HERALD Browns General Manager John Dorsey addresses the media Dec. 8.