Browns Signing QB Kirk Cousins Would Be Panic Move

The Cleveland Browns do not have a true starting quarterback. If they are lucky, they will be finished with the first day of the NFL Draft later this month and still not have one.

Should the Browns have a new quarterback via the first round of the NFL Draft, it would mean they reached for Shedeur Sanders much too high. It would also mean they passed on Abdul Carter, which would be a grievous error.

There are too many good quarterbacks available in the second and third days of the draft, one of them would be good enough for the Browns to groom behind Kenny Pickett. They should be able to get Jaxson Dart or Tyler Shough in the second round or Kyle McCord thereafter.

There is no reason to reach for Sanders, who comes with the sexy surname, but is "overpriced'' at the second pick of the draft. This is especially true when you have big, mean Abdul Carter staring you in the face and begging to be paired with Myles Garrett.

They also cannot rush to pay for an overpriced veteran like Kirk Cousins. 

Owner Jimmy Haslam already made one dumb move at quarterback, when he rushed into the Deshaun Watson trade and subsequent extension. Let's hope that does not happen again.

Cousins was a good player, who had his day in the sun and overcame the stigma of being a fifth-round selection. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins when they also drafted Robert Griffin III with the second pick overall.

Cousins is making oodles and oodles of money in Atlanta and the Browns are still eating a nothing burger from Watson's contract. They cannot afford Cousins at his present contract and also give assets to the Atlanta Falcons to obtain his services.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic disagrees here. She thinks Cousins is exactly what the doctor ordered for Andrew Berry. The tables are being pounded against the Browns making the trade for Cousins. 

"They still have so many questions at quarterback, which brings us to Kirk Cousins. Is that a real thing for Atlanta to trade Kirk to Cleveland? From my sense, yes. I don't know how far along it is right now, I just know there's enough smoke around this and enough conversations being had that this would not be a surprising move," Russini said. "Knowing Kevin Stefanski coached Kirk Cousins when he was in Minnesota, it makes a lot of sense on why that would work."

Oh, Dianna. He is not needed in Cleveland. His his best days are behind him. He got beat out by a rookie last season and he will be beat out by a rookie again this season if the Browns panic and trade for him after the draft. 

The better strategy: Stick with Pickett and draft a young arm after the first round.