While we’re more than a year and a half removed from the 2016 draft, one team’s actions continue to be discussed. And considering what could happen to the Browns’ power structure at the end of this season, their recent draft decisions could end up being seminal choices.
The Browns have passed on multiple players who look like long-term quarterback solutions in Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson, but in Hue Jackson‘s first months in Cleveland, he had his eye on Wentz.
Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports Jackson actually preferred Wentz to Jared Goff. This runs contrary to previous reports that indicated he (and veteran Browns scouts dismissed before the draft) liked the current Rams passer prior to his team’s trade-down decision.
Jackson’s pro-Goff vibe stemmed from a close-to-the-vest mindset, Cabot notes. He worked out Goff privately but was the only head coach to attend Wentz’s pro day. Wentz assumed the Browns were going to draft him, per Cabot, after he and Jackson developed a strong rapport before the draft.
The private workout he and then-assistant Pep Hamilton conducted with Wentz had the duo “instantly sold” Wentz was the Browns’ quarterback of the future. The Browns, of course, traded that pick to the Eagles for a bounty of draft picks. Cabot reports Browns management wasn’t going to be dissuaded from unloading that No. 2 selection because of the myriad needs their team had, and the Eagles aren’t regretting their decision.
When the Browns and Eagles faced off in the 2016 opener, Cabot reports Jackson felt he received a “chilly” reception from Wentz because of the draft snub and Paul DePodesta‘s infamous not-a-top-20-QB comment. Cabot also reports part of the reason Hamilton left Cleveland for Michigan after one season is how far off the Browns were on their evaluations on that 2016 quarterback class.
This would not be the only time Jackson didn’t get his way regarding a quarterback during his eventful stay in northeast Ohio.
Trade targets Jimmy Garoppolo and A.J. McCarron fell through, the latter in an embarrassing snafu. Cleveland is 0-11 and contemplating major changes this offseason, and Jackson is said to want more decision-making power if he returns in 2018.
DePodesta proving he doesn’t know anything bout 2 pro sports now…..great w/numbers, huh….how bout 1….like 1 win. Mathematical turd.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha !!! Welcome to the Browns organization.
He also wanted to draft Derek Jeter and Wayne Gretzky so…
It’s a shame. They keep their picks when they should trade and trade them when they should keep them. It’s easy to point to Wentz’ success now that he’s proven his ability, but considering they needed a franchise QB at the time and he was in some organizations ranked higher than Goff, one has to wonder why not draft the hardest position to fill successfully.
I’m sure DePodesta has made errors in the past regarding his evaluations, but this one had to have thrown his algorithms off.
Wentz is playing much better than he is right now. If the browns selected him he wouldn’t have any of the supporting cast he has in philly this year. When he didn’t have that last year he was mostly meh at best.
I agree, he wouldn’t have the success that he has now. However, he has shown that he can be successful when given the right supporting cast.
They didn’t like either QB. And it’s easy to make claims now that Wentz has looked the part.
He looked the part then as well. Remember he went 2nd overall. And that team is THE BEST in the league. While the Browns? Are STILL the worst. You can make ZERO argument for the Cleveland brass that wouldn’t let Hue Jackson draft Wentz. Jackson has been given half a chance to win and make things better.
The great citizens of North Dakota would like to thank God and the Cleveland Browns for NOT drafting Carson. He’s been very fortunate to be drafted by an organization who went out and got him help his second year in the league.
Can’t help but feel bad for this guy. Seems like no matter what he wants it goes wrong, just a constant power struggle. I really do think he can be a good coach but he’s not given much to work with. This team is a joke, would suck to even get drafted by them coming out of college in my opinion and I’m not trying to sound like a hater or be harsh but they are just one messed up organization. I’d love to see them get it together and start winning but I don’t see it happening soon, think they need to make a lot of changes. Maybe if the rumors are true and Manning does take over the team he can turn things around. Regardless it does seem like they need a new GM and the GM needs to be able to work with Hue well or hire a new coach that we will work with well.
Feel bad for him? Not really, he’s paid a ton of money to get results and hasn’t done squat and when they’re done with him he’ll be paid a ton to sit home and not coach. He knew the team was a mess and said hire me and I’ll turn them around. He also knew what authority he’d have. To not even stumble into 1 W this season is a disgrace, if he was any decent as a coach he’d find a way to get a couple and he hasn’t.
The fear of being overall #1 to the Cleveland Browns in upcoming draft has Rosen and Darnold playing chicken w/each other w/the threat of returning to school and saying, “Not It!”
And had they drafted Wentz he would have sucked. A lot of what makes a successful QB is the system he’s in and the players around him and well the Browns don’t have any of that.
No doubt about it, they’re just a graveyard for QBs. They could’ve had drafted Joe Montana or Peyton Manning in their primes and they would’ve bombed.
Don’t worry Hue your not coming back. You will be released from the hell that is the Browns
Hell….what did Bill Belichick do as Head Cleveland Brown….? Sucked. If Browns had taken Tom Brady all those years ago….he woulda been broken in half cause of porous O-line, when healthy, woulda played down to low expectations of that cursed franchise, and woulda been out of league in couple years selling insurance or whatever Tim Couch does now.
As a Browns fan, I went into that draft convinced that Goff was going to be a stud, and I really wanted him. I liked Wentz, but I definitely didn’t see him becoming anything close to what he is now, so once the Rams traded up to #1, I was okay with trading down — especially since the Browns didn’t (and still don’t) have a supporting cast that’s remotely conducive to developing a young quarterback.
For a while, I liked what the front office had done to stockpile draft picks and set the Browns up, and Hue Jackson probably shouldn’t be talking about what happens next year since it’s hard to guarantee there’s a next year at all when you’ve won 1 game in nearly 2 years.
That said, I’m totally convinced that the problem isn’t Hue Jackson, it’s Brown, DePodesta, and the rest of the front office. Hue barely seems to have any control over the players on his own football team, and even if he did get fired this offseason, who would even want the job that would realistically be as good of an option as Hue Jackson is right now? I’ve gotten tired of constant regime changes over the years, but a solution to keep Jackson and the coaching staff (although I’d love if Hue would hire an OC) while clearing house in the front office would be totally okay with me.
And my grandmother wanted to fly jets
I trust Mike Silver more than I trust MKC.
Jimmy Haslem is the top booster For the University of Tennessee (and brother of Tennessee governor). Look at their mess with their coaching search.
Haslem doesn’t do well finding the right people with the Browns either.
I would imagine Jackson wanted Jerrod Goff and DeShawn Watson too.