It was widely believed that the Cleveland Browns would pick a quarterback, and that it would either be Ty Simpson or Carnell Tate in round 1. But things couldn’t have turned out more differently for the franchise, and Andrew Berry revealed what went down.

In an X post made on 28 April, Browns reporter Daniel Oyefusi reported what the Browns GM said via X.

“We really had a group of three players that we would have been elated to select at 6 or at 9. Spencer (Fano) headlined the group, but Carnell was certainly among those players.”

His report comes after Berry sat down for a call to discuss the 2026 Draft and the team’s course henceforth. 

Talking to ESPN Cleveland expert Tony Grossi and radio hosts, Tony Rizzo and Aaron Goldhammer, Berry revealed his surprise at Simpson being available.

“In terms of Ty Simpson, I think, you know, probably the biggest thing is we didn't anticipate Ty would be available to us at 24,“

More than Miami’s Carnell Tate, Alabama’s Ty Simpson was extensively associated with the Browns. Berry associated Tate with their No.6, but the Browns hadn’t even hosted him for a Top 30 visit.

Simpson was the only QB they hosted for a Top 30 visit. He was a backup for the first three seasons at Alabama from 2022 to 2024. However, when he did play, he threw 28 touchdowns for 3,567 yards and just five interceptions. Alabama went from No. 17 to No. 9 in the NCAA rankings with him.

The Browns ended with a 5-12 record last season. Their QBs, Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders, gained just 3,152 passing yards. 

With Flacco’s exit and the ensuing lukewarm performances from the other two, the Browns were set to rope in another QB as soon as they could. This revelation from the GM contrasts with the Browns’ pre-draft coverage, which set aside their first pick for QB. 

They finally picked QB Taylen Green in the sixth round. And Simpson went to the Los Angeles Rams.

Was Ty Simpson Interested in the Rams?

The Rams picked Simpson as the replacement for their QB1 and reigning MVP Matthew Stafford. And while head coach Sean McVay’s disappointed reaction to the Rams calling out Simpson’s name went viral, reality suggests otherwise. 

In his post-draft interviews, Simpson revealed that he was a part of a “private” meeting with McVay and remained loyal to a “script.”

“We tried to keep this under wraps as long as we could," Simpson said in an interview on the show Amber & Ian. “It was something to where I knew they were interested, but they wanted to make it private and didn't want people to know that they were interested.”

Both Berry and Simpson had different agendas and began their respective journeys. Berry and Co.’s priority for this year’s draft was to pick good offensive players, which he did.

What are your thoughts? 

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi