The most likely scenario is of course DW winning the job. It’s no secret I have no real faith in Sanders. There is a very decent shot that DW plays well. As mentioned, it’s a contract year and he has a lot more talent around him. This is a team that’s a little more than a QB away. If not this year, next. That assumes our revamped OL is middle of the pack and our WR’s and TE’s are indeed significantly upgraded.
So let’s say he plays well. Like top 10. Then we’re likely going to the playoffs and who knows what from there. (Yea I said what I said).
And then of course we’re looking at extending in that scenario. We’d just have to. A good QB is just too valuable. An hilariously awful situation to be sure. And… there’s a solid chance we offer him a deal and he walks anyway. In fact, I would almost guarantee he leaves if he has other legit starter options. Even if it means making less. I don’t even think it’d be about the Browns really, it’s about escaping his past, about leaving the last 5 years far behind, getting away from the stink. So wouldn’t that just be the cherry on top. It’s also no secret that I really have no love for DW. It will always be hard to root for him. So if he plays great AND he sticks around, it’s gonna be… interesting.
Sanders is never going to be a viable long term starter. I’m willing to put money on that. So.. assuming DW moseys we’re back to next years draft. And a late pick. So moving miles becomes a very real possibility in that scenario. In fact, after this years draft, that was my first thought about next years draft. It’s pretty much the only pocket ace we have left to get up high. If we’re where I think we’ll be, next year it’s going to be critical to solve for the QB. That’s when this whole thing comes together or falls apart.
I really like Myles Garrett, but if it is the only avenue to getting the QB the Browns desire, then I have to look at historical perspective.
The top pass rushers in NFL History:
Bruce Smith, 19 years, 0 Super Bowl wins
Reggie White, 16 years, 1 Super Bowl win with Brett Favre as QB in 1997
Lawrence Taylor, 13 years, 2 Super Bowl wins with Phil Sims QB for both in 1987 and 1991
Deacon Jones, 14 years, 0 Super Bowl wins
Demarcus Ware, 12 years, 1 Super Bowl win and Vonn Miller (See below) were on the same Super Bowl winning team with Peyton Manning in 2016
Vonn Miller, 15 years, 2 Super Bowl wins, the second was 2022 with Matthew Stafford as his QB AND Aaron Donald.
Aaron Donald, 10 years, 1 Super Bowl win, with Matthew Stafford as his QB in 2022.
Julius Peppers, 17 years, 0 Super Bowl wins
Michael Strahan, 15 years, 1 Super Bowl win, Eli Manning as his QB in 2007, the last year of his career.
Kevin Greene 15 years, 0 Super Bowl wins
Chris Doleman, 15 years, 0 Super Bowl wins
Jason Taylor, 15 years, 0 Super Bowl wins
JJ Watt, 12 years, 0 Super Bowl wins
Arguably the 14 best pass rushers in the history of the league and they have 8 SB wins between them, 2 of which came in the same game and also (2) each from two players. They split these 8 wins among 5 indisputable franchise QBs (2 with Stafford). No pass rusher from this list has a Super Bowl win without a franchise QB. Half of the list has zero Super Bowl wins.
My point is, Myles Garrett is the other guy on this list above, he has 9 years under his belt and zero Super Bowls and zero franchise QBs that he has played with.
Now, we could do the same exercise with the top 10 QBs in history
Tom Brady, 23 years, 7 Super Bowl wins
Joe Montana, 15 years, 4 Super Bowl wins
Peyton Manning, 17 years, 2 Super Bowl wins
Johnny Unitas, 17 years, 1 Championship and 1 Super Bowl wins
Drew Brees, 20 years, 1 Super Bowl win
Dan Marino, 17 years, 0 Super Bowl wins
Roger Staubach, 11 years, 2 Super Bowl wins
John Elway, 19 years, 2 Super Bowl wins
Aaron Rodgers, 21 years, 1 Super Bowl win
Brett Favre, 20 years, 1 Super Bowl win
So, the top 10 QBs have won 21 Super Bowls and another NFL Championship game...Only one, Dan Marino, doesn't have a SB win. I could keep going, the rest of the top 25 QBs of all time, all but 2-3 have Super Bowl or Championship wins. MOST of the top QBs have won a championship.
I would have to give the nod to franchise QB being the most important position to find in the NFL. That being said, being a franchise QB doesn't guarantee a Super Bowl either... Eli and Phil both have (2) Super Bowl wins, but they aren't in the HOF. Teams can do half the work as well..., but you almost always need to have a better than average guy behind center to have a fighting chance.
IF they deem a QB worthy of that projection, I would have to say, they need to do whatever necessary to get that guy. If that means trading Myles Garrett to do it, then so be it.
Now, if the top team in the draft is unwilling to trade and takes that QB, don't just trade Garrett for the sake of drafting a QB. At some point, they might need to make another leap of faith like they did with Watson. I just hope they look at more than ONE YEAR of stats when choosing whether or not that player is worth a trade. It was definitely the person that made that trade fail, not the ability that he showed on film for one season.