INDIANAPOLIS — Cleveland Browns executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown touched on a variety of subjects at the NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday, but he was prohibited from talking about the most pressing issue facing his team.
Will the Browns try to acquire quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in a trade with the Patriots? Brown can’t answer the question because Garoppolo is under contract to New England.
“I wouldn’t comment on a player on another team because it would be inappropriate for me to do it and against league rules,” Brown said when it was his turn at the podium. “I’ve seen all the headlines out there, but I can’t comment on that.”
Nevertheless, improving the quarterback situation is a priority, Brown said. The Browns were 1-15 last year. They have the first and 12th picks in the first round plus the first pick in the second round, pick 52 overall and pick 65 overall. They have plenty of ammo to make a trade or they can have their picks of quarterbacks — Deshaun Watson, Mitch Trubisky or DeShone Kizer — in the draft.
“Any time you don’t have your starting quarterback, there should always be urgency,” Brown said. “That’s a position of emphasis for us.”
The Browns had 26 starting quarterbacks from 1999-2016.
The good news for the Browns is the first round of the draft begins 49 days after the league year begins. That gives Brown plenty of time to form Plan A and Plan B if necessary if Plan A means trading for a quarterback or signing one in free agency and Plan B means drafting one.
“I think because chronologically they’re so separated … we’ll have a pretty good idea of what’s available in free agency and have plenty of time to adjust and understand what’s available in the draft,” Brown said. “We really do view the offseason as a continuum of opportunities. So we go into the Senior Bowl hoping to have a great understanding of where we are in each of those phases of opportunities, particularly at quarterback, because it’s a point of emphasis for us as we try to find and establish our starting quarterback for long term.”
The 4 p.m. deadline passed without the Browns using the franchise tag on wide receiver Terrelle Pryor. Pryor led the Browns with 77 catches and 1,007 yards receiving. Andrew Hawkins tied Corey Coleman for second among the wide receivers with 33 catches. Hawkins was waived on Monday.
The Browns hope to work out a long-term contract with Pryor. They showed a commitment to keeping their best players when they re-signed linebacker Jamie Collins in January.
“We’d like to have Terrelle back and that’s a priority for us,” Brown said. “That said, we’re not going to panic if he’s not back, also. But he’s a good player, works hard. We think he fits in our system, had a lot of success with our coaches, so we think this is a great place for him to continue his career.
“I think the reality at this point is if you’re not going to use the tag, the guy’s effectively in free agency and will be solicited by other teams through the week here in Indy. We’re realistic about that. We’ll work through the process with Terrelle and his representatives.”
Drew Rosenhaus is Pryor’s agent.