The Cleveland Browns' 2025 mission statement appears less focused on results on the field and more geared toward finding the franchise's next signal-caller.
The organization, marred by an unfortunate history of substandard quarterbacks, is desperate to get it right for once by enlisting a fairly genius strategy.
Joe Flacco is the veteran in the room, but Kenny Pickett, a former first-round pick who showed glimpses of promise in his time as a starter, and a pair of rookies in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders are all enticing lottery tickets that could have monster returns.
If they were to somehow strike out on all three, that would put the club in a prominent position to acquire owner Jimmy Haslam's preferred option for the future.
While on ESPN Cleveland Radio, host Tony Rizzo suggested that Haslam is infatuated with a Heisman frontrunner and one of the top names of the 2026 NFL Draft:
Arch Manning.
"I know it's nothing that they want to talk about, but the thirst that Jimmy Haslam has for Arch Manning is unmatched," Rizzo said. "Haslam has donated a ton of money to Tennessee; they have a relationship with the Manning family. I don't think it's a coincidence that they acquired a second-round pick next year."
The Browns are playing the numbers game and trying to gather as many darts to throw at the "QB board" as possible.
It might be unfair to evaluate Gabriel and Shedeur properly in their first campaigns, but if it lands the team a potentially generational arm, that point becomes irrelevant.
Arch has to prove his worth at Texas, but if he's as advertised, there's a chance he can lead Cleveland out of the bottom of the AFC North and turn the squad into consistent playoff contenders.