The Browns is the Steelers, when it comes to Russell Wilson, apparently. With Cleveland set to host the former Steelers quarterback, it is eyeing a return to winning. While Wilson led the Steelers to a 6-1 record in his first seven starts, he lost his final four. That included a relatively non-competitive game against the Ravens in the playoffs, though the defense didn’t offer much help.
Cleveland reporter Mary Kay Cabot recently wrote that acquiring Russell Wilson would “hasten the Browns’ return to winning, and excite Pro Bowl veterans such as Myles Garrett, Joel Bitonio, Jerry Jeudy, David Njoku, Joel Bitonio, Jack Conklin and Denzel Ward”, which should hopefully supply you, dear reader, with the laugh you sorely needed this morning. Never mind the fact that she snuck Bitonio in there twice.
In case you’ve forgotten, this is the team that thought trading its resources and soul for Deshaun Watson was wise. Granted, it seemed more plausible at the time, but it quickly proved to be arguably the worst NFL trade ever. The Browns wouldn’t have to give up nearly as much for Russell Wilson, so there is that.
And doing so would have a ripple effect, Cabot suggests. The Browns hold the second-overall pick, and if they sign Wilson, they would be unlikely to draft a quarterback. Part of that would be the opportunity to draft Travis Hunter, but part of it is also their fondness for other quarterbacks in a draft class almost uniformly regarded as weak.
“The Browns genuinely like other quarterbacks in this draft besides Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders”, Cabot wrote of the team hoping to poach Russell Wilson away from a Steelers team that doesn’t seem to want him, “and would be excited to draft and develop one later such as Alabama’s Jalen Milroe or Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart”.
Dart is a quarterback some hope is on the Steelers’ radar, perhaps even in the first round. And if they fail to sign Aaron Rodgers and the Browns scoop up Wilson, they may be forced into action. Barring some other significant development, quarterback would be the overwhelming top priority in the draft.
Russell Wilson certainly didn’t play poorly for the Steelers, but could he turn a team like the Browns around? They don’t have the run game they used to with Nick Chubb, for one thing. Jerry Jeudy is a decent No. 1 WR, and worked with Wilson in Denver, but they don’t have much else. They haven’t much sniffed around the current market, so they may well aim for Hunter.
Myles Garrett claimed that he wanted a trade because he didn’t think Cleveland had a plan for winning. Just weeks later, he signed a $40 million APY extension and a no-trade clause. When he has to tell people that he thinks the Browns can win now because they signed Russell Wilson—assuming that they do—who would possibly believe him?
