The Cleveland Browns’ ship is navigating stormy seas. Waves of injuries, contract chaos, and playoff droughts have fans clutching their life jackets. Rumors swirl like a Lake Erie squall about a franchise icon wanting out and a $230 million quarterback who can’t stay on the field. Also, Myles Garrett‘s trade request could make an impact. But hidden in the turbulence? A lifeline from an unlikely source.

Yeah, it’s Denver’s playbook. CBS Sports’ Jason McCourty suggested something new on The Rich Eisen Show. “Even if you don’t get a quarterback right now, you start to build a really good roster of good players. So that way when you are in a position to get a quarterback, you already have a situation and environment for him to walk into,” McCourty said. Here’s where the Broncos’ blueprint enters.

Denver fortified their roster before drafting Bo Nix in 2024. Result? Nix shattered rookie records: 29 TDs, 3,775 yards, and a playoff berth. “Similar to what we watched Bo Nix do this year, where the Broncos were playing really good defense. They were trying to run the ball, a quick passing game, and doing things to get him comfortable. Where later on in the season he was able to kind of break out,” McCourty added. Cleveland, holding the No. 2 pick in 2025, faces a similar crossroads.

Sports Illustrated’s theory suggests Cleveland skips 2025 QBs (like Shedeur Sanders) to target Texas’ Arch Manning in 2026. How? Trade Garrett for picks, absorb Watson’s cap pain and mimic Denver’s foundation-first approach. Meanwhile, the Browns’ offseason exploded when Myles Garrett, their 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, publicly requested a trade.

“While I’ve loved calling this city my home, my desire to win and compete on the biggest stages won’t allow me to be complacent. The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl,” he stated on 3rd Feb., signaling doubt in Cleveland’s direction.

Cleveland’s crisis: Garrett’s exit & Watson’s anchor

Meanwhile, Deshaun Watson’s $72.9 million 2025 cap hit looms like an anchor, with his Achilles injury likely sidelining him until 2026. The fallout? McCourty noted, “Myles [Garrett] hasn’t said this, but this has to be on his mind because I remember getting there looking at Joe Thomas’ and thinking that like damn this guy is good… the fact that he will not get an opportunity to compete and play in those meaningful games late in the season hella hurts me… [if] he doesn’t want to be there you have to make a move.”

Trading Garrett could net two first-round picks, per CBS Sports—a chance to replenish draft capital lost in the Watson deal. But moving him before June 1 triggers $36.2 million in dead money. Wait, and the hit spreads to 2025-26. Either way, Cleveland’s cap sheet is a minefield. “The Deshaun Watson failure that was the last ditch effort,” McCourty added. But Watson’s contract complicates everything.

Trading him and Garrett post-June 1 would save $111 million long-term but spike 2025’s dead money to 30.5 million. Yet Cleveland’s brass seems tempted. Insider Zac Jackson mocked Penn State’s Abdul Carter at No. 2: “[A] blue-chip prospect at a premium position” to replace Garrett. Pair that with later-round QBs, and the rebuild begins. But will fans tolerate another tank job?

Cleveland’s dilemma is stark: cling to fading stars or embracing Denver’s patient rebuild. Myles Garrett’s departure would sting, but two first-rounders and cap relief offer hope. Watson’s dead money? A brutal reminder of past hubris.

The Browns’ front office faces its defining test. Can they turn Denver’s template into a Lake Erie miracle—or will this storm sink them for good?

One question lingers: Would you trade a legend for a shot at tomorrow?