Voltar
One by one, quarterbacks keep getting plucked off the trade block.
On Wednesday, Nov. 4, the Arizona Cardinals joined the fun by trading veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett to the Baltimore Ravens. Brissett will look to bolster the Ravens' QB room following a wave of injuries to both Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley.
But while the move not only puts a band-aid on an AFC North squad that is still in contention to make a run for the top spot, it also puts the Cleveland Browns in a position to reevaluate the group they have on the roster.
With four quarterbacks on staff, a group that includes two second-year signal callers and a rookie, the Browns will be able to skew the market a bit as one of the last remaining teams left with depth at the position.
If any other team needs to add an extra arm to their roster at the deadline, Cleveland is going to likely be on the call list.
The Browns have rolled out controversial quarterback Deshaun Watson as the starting quarterback through the first eight weeks of the 2026 season.
However, in the early morning hours on Wednesday, that storyline hit a roadblock.
Second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders was thrust into the spotlight after Watson entered concussion protocol, with the 24-year-old now being projected to start Sunday's game for the Browns against the New Orleans Saints. This would be Watson's first missed game of the season.
With Sanders not expected to be the long-term starter, though, especially with this injury pretty much being a waiting game, Sunday could ultimately serve as a test to see if any teams in need of a quarterback could make Sanders their No. 1.
It would be surprising to not see any scouts in New Orleans, especially with the deadline approaching.
There's also an opportunity for both Gabriel's and Green's values to grow as well, even without taking the field this season. Both being so young and raw allows them to be molded into something that fits a specific team's system, particularly if they believe a 2026 playoff spot is a lost cause.
That same case can be made for Sanders; he just has a bit more experience on the gridiron under his belt than the other two.
Quarterbacks across the board, not just the Browns', probably saw a jump of roughly a pick's worth of trade value on Wednesday following the Brissett trade. For example, if Gabriel were valued as a fifth-round pick before the last few weeks, he has likely jumped up to fourth-round status, especially with very few quarterbacks still available on the open market.
With how many quarterbacks have been injured this season, including the likes of Seattle's Sam Darnold, the Eagles' Jalen Hurts, Jackson and many more, teams have to be readier than ever to embody that next-man-up mentality.
A season can't just fall off the rails completely after a quarterback goes down.
Over the next few days, it will be interesting to watch and see how the market continues to move, and values change with the trade deadline approaching.
And if one of Cleveland's four active quarterbacks on the 53-man roster is forced to put on a new jersey.