Scarcely a day goes by without a story somewhere speculating on Cleveland's next starting quarterback. Will they draft someone like Geno Smith, trade for someone like Ryan Mallett, or give Colt McCoy yet another chance to stir memories of his prolific college career?
Maybe they already have that quarterback in Brandon Weeden. The regime that selected him is gone, he'll be 30 years old in October, and he threw 17 interceptions last year. But Weeden did a lot of good things, too, and it makes sense to give him another season running the offense before pulling the plug.
New coach Rob Chudzinski, at least, is saying some encouraging things. "I'm excited about the tools he brings," says Chudzinski. "He can throw the ball. He's got good feel and presence in the pocket."
And Weeden did improve over the course of the season. He threw 4 interceptions in Week 1, and 10 in the first six weeks of the season. But he threw just 7 picks in his last nine games, and that was while facing a respectable slate of defenses, including all three divisional foes, Denver, and Dallas. He threw for 300-plus yards three times and was over 60 percent completions in four of his final five starts. He also won three of those games.
Weeden wasn't Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson, or Robert Griffin III, but there have been a lot of worse rookie starters over the years. Including in Cleveland.
Weeden himself won't generate much interest in fantasy leagues, but that level of play could give the team some quality receiving options. Josh Gordon had an impressive rookie season that included catching 31 passes in his final seven games. Greg Little averaged 4-plus catches for 57 yards in his final five games. Then there's Trent Richardson, who battled injuries as a rookie but is in line for a workhorse role in the offense. He also caught 51 passes last season. Jordan Cameron is in line to replace Benjamin Watson at tight end; Watson caught 49 balls for 501 yards a year ago.
If Weeden is indeed the quarterback this season, the Browns offense could be better than you might think. Add in the fact that division rivals Baltimore and Pittsburgh might not be as good defensively, and there figures to be some fantasy value there.
--Andy Richardson