While the Browns' dreams of signing Fernando Mendoza fell through, rumors of a major move for the 2027 Draft emerged: one for Arch Manning. However, it may not happen.

According to Ernesto Cova of the Dawg Pound Daily, "The Browns may not have a franchise quarterback, and unfortunately, that could lead them all the way back to the top five in next year's draft. Early expert projections suggest that Arch will be the next in the Manning family’s line of elite quarterbacks, and he would obviously be a no-brainer pick for most teams."

This year, the Browns have Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel as their three QBs, none of whom had impressive seasons in 2025. Watson was on the sidelines with an injury, while Sanders and Gabriel had rookie seasons with less than 10 touchdowns.

That's why Cova believes the team might have a higher pick in the 2027 Draft. However, making the move for Manning might not be right for the team.

"Not for the Browns, though. Based on their history with the Mannings, it would probably be in the franchise's best interest to avoid a repeat of the NFL's 2004 draft drama."

Cova referred to a situation from the 2004 Draft. At the time, the San Diego Chargers held the first pick and wanted Eli Manning. However, Manning didn't want to sign with the Chargers. That's when the Browns were in the running for the QB, but as Eli revealed recently on Bussin' With the Boys' podcast, it wasn't where he wanted to go.

And that might be the case for Arch Manning as well, who chose to pull out of the 2026 Draft.

For the Browns however, according to one recent update, the QB situation might be temporarily solved.

Deshaun Watson Is Making Progress

After Wednesday's OTAs, Orange and Brown Talk host Dan Labbe and Cleveland.com film analyst Lance Reisland left positive feedback around Watson.

"When I looked out there, it looked to me like Deshaun Watson was QB1. Not written in pen. It could change, but to me, all the things they had Deshaun Watson doing felt very QB1 to me."

Deshaun Watson hasn't played a full season in a while, but if he's at full health, we could see him dominate play. During his final three years at the Houston Texans, Watson managed over 3500 passing yards and over 25 passing touchdowns in back-to-back years.

Read more at the Cleveland Browns Community!

Written by

Hetal Moleshri

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar