26! That’s the total number of players who are set to hit free agency for the Browns this offseason. 19 among them will hit unrestricted free agency. 3 of them will go to restricted free agency. And four of them have the potential to get the exclusive rights free agent tag. So, with March 12th arriving in 8 days. The Browns have announced their first major decision on two of their fringe players. Fringe why? Because neither of them had a massive impact but were instrumental at times.

The Browns have decided to tender LB Winston Reid and TE Blake Whiteheart. Now some of you may be wondering what’s tender. Are they leaving or are they staying? Well, it’s the latter. Tender also means exclusive rights free agents. It refers to only those players who have played fewer than three seasons in the league and have an expired contract. Also, their original team offered them a one-year contract at the minimum to stop them from negotiating with others. So, basically Reid and Whiteheart have been blocked from talking with the 31 other franchises.

And it’s almost certain they will be back this year. Among the two, Reid was the one who got more opportunities to play. He not only contributed defensively but also had a massive role to play on the special teams. Reid was involved in 373 special team snaps and 144 defensive snaps. Chipping in with two passes defended, one fumble recovery, 23 tackles and one QB hit. So, it was kind of an okayish year for the Weber State product. But was it enough for a new contract? Probably, not.

As for Whiteheart, he spent a full season on the Cardinals practice squad before getting picked by the Browns. And last season he only played in 11 games, catching 6 passes for 51 yards and a TD. Considering the Browns never had a solid QB under center, you can’t really blame others for doing less.

However, it looks like that problem could soon be over. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has predicted something that may or may not bring excitement to Cleveland. Fowler feels the Browns could target a Chiefs’ QB to solve their QB woes. Well, not the one you are thinking about. The one he suggested started the final regular season game last year. And if the Browns do target him, then the Chiefs could be in for a little gift.

Are the Browns willing to gift the Chiefs ammunition to solve their QB issues?

We all know Deshaun Watson will probably not play another game for the Browns. So, how do they replace their $230M QB, who played amateurish football in Cleveland? Well, Fowler suggests the Browns could be monitoring Patrick Mahomes’ backup Carson Wentz situation. It’s very obvious Wentz will not get a chance to play in Kansas City until Mahomes gets injured. But you know Mahomes’ injuries are nothing for him. One week he is limping off the field—The next week he is back scoring TDs. So, the only way for Wentz to prolong his career is to find a starting berth elsewhere. And Browns could be an ideal destination for him to show everyone he still has it.

Considering Fowler’s prediction does come true, then the Chiefs will receive a compensatory draft pick for 2026. And not only that. This deal could get even sweeter for the Chiefs if Wentz does go on and have a huge success in Cleveland. Him performing well and earning a multi-million dollar contract will increase the value of that compensatory pick. See, it could be possible that Kevin Stefanski manages to get the best out of once deemed MVP Wentz.

But right now, everything is just ifs and buts. Who knows, maybe the Browns will go on and select Shedeur Sanders with their No.2 pick. And if that happens, then Wentz will probably stay where he is and the Chiefs’ dream of winning a compensatory pick for someone who is clearly out of depth will never see daylight.