A position by position rundown of the Cleveland Browns following the 2013 season.
QUARTERBACKS
2014 Free agents: None, though Brandon Weeden is expected to be given his “free agency” shortly after the Super Bowl.
The good: The best news at this position is that Brian Hoyer should be back in time for training camp after tearing his ACL in October. Hoyer’s emergence for the two games he played was the brightest spot at the position. That it was only two games matters, but it gives the Browns a small hook on which to hang some sort of hat.
The bad: This could also be called “the old.” The Browns do not know if they have their quarterback of the future and must decide if they want to use one of their two first-round picks for a quarterback, use both to trade up for a quarterback or be patient and find the right quarterback. There’s a lot of chatter already about Johnny Manziel, that GM Mike Lombardi likes him a lot. But nothing is certain yet, and pre-draft chatter can be misleading.
The money: Weeden will be cut, not because of money (his salary cap figure is $2.2 million), but because this regime didn’t want him and gave him a chance because it had no other options. Hoyer, Jason Campbell and Alex Tanney together do not account for $4 million under the cap, so their status with the team will depend on what the new coach wants and is not a financial decision.
Draft priority: High. At some point in the draft, the Browns will take a quarterback. It could be high -- a Manziel or a Blake Bortles -- or it could be mid-round -- someone like A.J. McCarron of Alabama. But with Josh McCown of Chicago the best projected free agent on the market, the Browns will turn to the draft when it comes to upgrading this spot.
