Cleveland Browns: The Scot McCloughan addition means no Kirk but maybe Baker

An all-star front office is formed by the Cleveland Browns as the wheels are in motion to improving the roster.

The Cleveland Browns finally are making some sense. They hired actual football people to oversee critical decisions. First was headlined by John Dorsey as general manager.

Following that move, Dorsey decided to bring in Alonzo Highsmith and Eliot Wolf but he didn’t stop there.

According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Dorsey has added respected veteran talent evaluator and former Washington Redskins general manager Scot McCloughan.

More from Factory of Sadness

The catch to this hiring though is that McCloughan will be a consultant for the Browns until the end of the 2018 NFL Draft. Given his experience, it’s unlikely McCloughan would be extended in the same role post-draft. However, with how the front office has been reshaped, maybe Dorsey will find or create a gig for him then. For now, expect McCloughan to just help Cleveland for the next couple of months.

With McCloughan in the fold, where does that leave Cleveland and their pursuit of improving the roster?

While Washington Redskins QB Kirk Cousins has been hyped up as an option, everyone can cross his name off the list now. When McCloughan was on 1043 The Fan last month, he discussed Cousins and how he didn’t see him as a “special” kind of quarterback.

Even with the salary cap space, Cleveland would be wise to listen to him and go against signing Cousins. After all, McCloughan saw first hand what Cousins can do daily for three years.

It makes too much sense to go the draft route and add their (hopefully) franchise quarterback.

With that in mind, Dorsey, McCloughan, Highsmith, and Wolf will determine the best course of action as to which quarterback(s) will be added and when.

Speaking of which, the Browns have picks one and four in the draft. One of them is expected to be used on a quarterback. Four months ago McCloughan was on The Doug Gottlieb Show where he discussed how he would prefer Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield among the top QB draft prospects.

Of course, there is still plenty of film to evaluate, along with the combine and pro days to watch. Knowing that McCloughan likes Mayfield though cannot be ignored. Mayfield is far from a lock to become a Brown but if he becomes the preferred choice of Dorsey, then the Browns will have an interesting choice to make.

Do they go with him at one or do they go with the best player available first and then select the Sooners’ quarterback at four? If you recall, Dorsey has been a believer in the BPA approach. Being that Mayfield doesn’t really fit what the New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts seek out of the quarterback position, he should be there for the Browns.

This could become irrelevant when it is all said and done. That said, what if his opinion of Mayfield turned out to be just a smokescreen? If it is, be on the lookout for Cleveland to actually prefer USC’s Sam Darnold. Whether it is Mayfield, Darnold, or someone else, Cleveland must add to key positions.

Next: Phil Savage believes Josh Allen could go first overall

These next six weeks are going to be interesting to watch as everyone waits for the new year to get here on March 14th. On that date, everyone will start having a better idea as to what Cleveland is planning for the draft.

Home/Cleveland Browns