The Cleveland Browns agreed to a stunning contract extension with Myles Garrett on Sunday, meaning that what seemed to be an inevitable total rebuild has obviously been altered.
Now, the Browns will focus on contending while also taking the right steps toward ensuing their future is secure, and that could only mean one thing in this year's NFL Draft: taking a quarterback.
We have heard quite a lot of speculation that Cleveland may be going in a different direction with the No. 2 overall pick next month, but with Garrett now under wraps, it seems hard to imagine the Browns not selecting one of Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward.
After all, Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter is no longer much of a necessity for Cleveland, as the Browns do not have to find a Garrett replacement. Unless Cleveland wants to double down in the trenches, the chances of the Browns drafing Carter seem very slim.
Yes, Cleveland could technically trade down for more picks or maybe even choose wide receiver Travis Hunter, but the quarterback position was a major sticking point for Garrett when he first revealed that he wanted to be dealt. You don't think he had a long talk with Andrew Berry and Browns brass and basically insisted that they take Sanders or Ward?
Cleveland has probably the worst quarterback situation in football right now. There is absolutely no reason for the Browns not to take a signal-caller, especially now that they have told the world they are still trying to win in the near future.
Let's also remember that Cleveland does not have the cap room to sign Sam Darnold in free agency, so that is almost surely out of the question. The Browns could still add a veteran to help groom their incoming rookie quarterback, but the idea of signing Darnold to a long-term deal just isn't plausible.
We can probably stop all of the conjecture at this point. Cleveland is going to be selecting a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick, and if it doesn't, then no one should ever really trust the Browns' direction ever again.
