The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Bridge QB would help a top draft selection
If the Browns select a quarterback with one of their top draft picks, they would need a veteran to provide guidance next season. Jeff Schudel looks at the options. Plus, new Cavs vs. the Warriors.
Any question of whether the Browns are planning to put their future in the hands of a rookie quarterback or a veteran in his prime was answered on Super Bowl Sunday, when they hired Scot McCloughan as a draft consultant.
McCloughan is a strong supporter of fiery Baker Mayfield, the quarterback from Oklahoma a shade over 6-foot. McCloughan is also the former general manager of the Washington Redskins. Though he isn’t a Kirk Cousins basher, he also isn’t a Kirk Cousins booster.
“He’s a good player,” McCloughan said of Cousins during a Jan. 18 radio interview on the Cecil and Pritchard Show in Denver. “Is he special? I don’t see special. But also, we were still building a roster around him to make him special. (Washington coach) Jay Gruden does a great job play calling. (Former Washington offensive coordinator and Los Angeles Rams coach) Sean McVay did a great job play-calling to put him in positions to be successful. He’s talented. Talent is good at quarterback in the NFL. He’s won games. I know his record overall is not over .500. I know he has not won a playoff game. But he’s competitive.”
Cousins, after six seasons with the Redskins, will become a free agent on March 14. The Browns can throw money at him to make him their longterm quarterback, or they could try to trade with the Eagles for Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles for the same purpose. They would not sign either Cousins or Foles to be a bridge to the quarterback they are likely to choose with the first or fourth pick in the draft on April 26.
If they do not go after a veteran to make the Browns an instant winner, they still need one with an unselfish demeanor willing to mentor Mayfield, Josh Allen, Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen or whomever the Browns decide to cast their lot with. That veteran is not easy to find. Bernie Kosar was very fortunate as a rookie to have Gary Danielson in his corner.
The most likely player to fill that bridge role is A.J. McCarron from the Cincinnati Bengals. McCarron played for Browns head coach Hue Jackson when Jackson was the Bengals offensive coordinator in 2014 and 2015.
McCarron has an arbitration hearing for Feb. 15 to determine whether he will be a restricted free agent or unrestricted when free agency begins next month.
The Browns could look to one of the quarterbacks from the Vikings headed to free agency — Case Keenum, Sam Bradford or Teddy Bridgewater. Bridgewater or Bradford could be more open to a short-term deal to re-establish himself as a starter to hit free agency in 2019.
Josh McCown, the Browns’ quarterback in 2015 and 2016 is a 39-yearold free agent after one year with the New York Jets. He definitely has the right temperament to school a rookie.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, 35, spent last season with the Buccaneers. He has played for the Cardinals, Bengals, Bills, Rams, Jets, Titans and Buccaneers during a career that began in 2005 with the Rams. He had been in enough offenses to be able to teach whomever the Browns draft whatever Jackson and new offensive coordinator Todd Haley design.
There is another option — Colt McCoy. McCoy, a 2010 third-round draft pick by the Browns, is a backup quarterback in Washington. He has one year left on his contract. He has made only four starts (1-3) since 2011 with the Browns. He has the perfect demeanor to be a bridge quarterback.
• The Browns have scheduled a private workout for Mayfield at a date to be determined, according to Sports Illustrated’s MMQB. The Browns are the first team to set up a one-on-one workout with the Oklahoma quarterback, according to the report.
Doubtless the Browns will set workouts with Allen, Darnold and Rosen, too. It doesn’t matter that Mayfield is first on their list, but it reveals the interest in the Heisman Trophy winner is genuine.
• Josh McDaniels, a onetime candidate to coach the Browns, is now famous for spurning the Colts after committing to become their head coach, choosing instead to continue on as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator.
As Browns left tackle Joe Thomas tweeted, McDaniels’ decision has limited the number of teams that would ever think of hiring him to one — Patriots.
McDaniels was reportedly cleaning out his office two days after New England lost the Super Bowl, preparing to take the Colts job. Then he met with head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft and changed his mind.
Supposedly McDaniels is not guaranteed the head coaching job when Belichick finally retires. I’m guessing Kraft was smiling on the inside when McDaniels left the Colts high and dry. Because which team ratted on the Patriots concerning the deflated footballs in the AFC championship game played three years ago?
That’s right. The Colts. Revenge is sweet for the Patriots’ owner.
Chasing the Warriors
The Cavaliers, should they meet the Golden State Warriors this year for a fourth straight NBA Finals, gained valuable reinforcements when they overturned their roster at the trading deadline.
Larry Nance, Jr. and Jordan Clarkson played with the Lakers. Rodney Hood played with the Utah Jazz and George Hill played with the Sacramento Kings — all Western Conference teams, which means the new Cavaliers have plenty of experience playing against the Warriors.
Nance, for example, has faced the Warriors 11 times with five starts. The 25-year-old son of former Cavalier Larry Nance has not gone against any other team as often. He has 20 steals against Golden State, by far the most (13 vs. Sacramento is second). The Cavs must improve their defense if they are to wrest the championship from the Warriors as they did in 2016.
Hill, who has also played with the Spurs, Pacers and Jazz, has played against the Warriors 22 times with nine starts and is deadly on 3-pointers when Golden State is the opponent. He has connected on 34 of 66 3s against the Warriors, and though he has made more against other teams (41 of 89 against the Nets), Golden State is the only team he is shooting better than .500 against from long range.
Clarkson is averaging 13.3 points a game and Hood 15.3 points a game against Golden State.
The Cavs have to play much better than they have been to get back to the Finals, but if they meet the Warriors again, Coach Tyronn Lue can be assured his newest players won’t be intimidated.
• Hill gives the Cavaliers the true point guard they have been lacking most of the season. He should take some of the workload from LeBron James.
“George Hill is experienced, battle-tested,” Cavs general manager Koby Altman said. “He’s an excellent fit for the team in terms of being a two-way guy.”
Hill should feel reborn going from the hapless Kings (17-36) to the defending East champions. He’ll be thrown into the heat of the conference race on Feb. 11 when the Cavs visit the first-place Celtics in Boston.
I didn’t know that
… until I read my Snapple bottle cap.
The brain is the only organ in the human body without pain receptors . ... According to estimates, the world’s oceans contain $10 billion in gold . ... Maine is the closest state to Africa . ... Bees’ wings beat about 11,400 times a minute . ... Life jackets were at one time filled with sunflower seeds for floatation . ... James Monroe received all but one electoral vote in the 1820 presidential election.
Reach Schudel at JSchudel@News-Herald. com. On Twitter: @jsproinsider