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Dan Orlovsky Believes Cleveland Browns Can Compete in the AFC if They Draft Travis Hunter and Sign Kirk Cousins

Alex Murray
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Travis Hunter, Kirk Cousins

The Cleveland Browns were supposed to enter an era of sustained success after their blockbuster trade for Deshaun Watson in 2022. Instead, it has proven to be one of the biggest blunders of the century, leaving the Browns back in the doldrums. They ended the 2024 season with a 3-14 record. And things looked so dire that even their best player, Myles Garrett, requested a trade last month.

However, Garrett and team shocked the league by agreeing to a new record $40 million per year deal, making the defensive end the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history. Garrett’s main reason for requesting a trade was his desire to win. Now, he wouldn’t be the first person to set aside lofty goals for $40 million. But his abrupt change of course suggests there might be more to the story.

No one knows what that might be, but a reasonable possibility is that Cleveland’s front office broke down their offseason strategy to Garrett, and it convinced him that Cleveland would be competitive in 2025. ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky feels the clincher for Garrett could have been the team’s quarterback plan.

“He’s gotta know what the QB plan is… I struggle to believe that he publicly said what he said about the QB position and the future and wanting to win and all that, then the money comes, and he goes, ‘Yup, I forget all that.’ Myles doesn’t come across like that guy,” said the analyst on First Take.

Orlovsky suggested that the plan could involve a two-pronged approach — targeting key additions in both free agency and the draft.

“So, he either believes that Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry at the No. 2 pick, gonna take a QB that they believe and he thinks is going to be really good. Or the second part is this… at the No. 2 pick we’re gonna take Travis Hunter, we’re gonna play him at WR, and Kirk Cousins is coming. Then, that totally changes it, then Cleveland can compete,” added Orlovsky.

Hunter would give them a bona fide WR1, and Cousins would bring a level of professionalism and experience to the QB room that they haven’t had in years. As Orlovsky pointed out, Cousins has also previously worked with Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski during their time in Minnesota from 2018 to 2019.

It’s an intriguing scenario — one that many Browns fans would likely welcome. However, don’t count Stephen A. Smith in the camp of the believers.

“Kirk Cousins!? Did you say Kirk Cousins!? We know we can compete if we got Kirk Cousins!? I said Kirk Cousins, the QB situation is horrid now, that’s really the heart of their problems. You’re telling me Kirk Cousins solves their problems?” Said Smith.

The overriding view was that the Browns needed to draft a QB with the No. 2 pick. However, NFL insider Daniel Jeremiah communicated a shift in the discourse surrounding the Browns at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Many representatives around the league are now hearing that Cleveland might go for the best player available at No. 2. That would likely mean Travis Hunter, as the Garrett deal probably precludes their selection of edge, Abdul Carter.

“There’s some people around the league that think the Browns aren’t gonna take a QB with their first pick… They’ve done their homework on this second tier of QBs as well so don’t rule that out,” said Jeremiah.

There’s no doubt anyone would love Hunter, and the Kirk Cousins part of Orlovsky’s plan might not be as popular.

However, the Browns don’t necessarily have to choose between a veteran free agent and one of the top two prospects. As Jeremiah noted, they’ve been keeping tabs on mid-round draft prospects like Jaxson Dart, Will Howard, and Jalen Milroe — all of whom offer intriguing strengths that could cover for their weaknesses.

Post Edited By:Samnur Reza

About the author

Alex Murray

Alex Murray

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Alex Murray has been active in the sport media industry since his graduation from the prestigious RTA School of Media at TMU (formerly Ryerson University) in downtown Toronto. He has had a specific focus and interest on all things football and NFL, which stems from his father, who imbued him with a love of football and the NFL over all other sports at a young age. Alex even played football up until his freshman year of college, when he realized that he would find more success writing about rather than playing the sport. Alex has written for a variety of sports media outlets, including theScore, FanSided, FantasyPros, GiveMeSport, and more.

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