Browns Get Warning From Top QB Prospect Ahead of Draft

Cam Ward will hold it against the Cleveland Browns and other teams if they decide to pass on him in the draft.

Ward is projected to be one of the first quarterbacks off the board in April. He and Shedeur Sanders are regarded as the best passers in the draft. The Browns hold the No. 2 overall pick, so Ward could potentially be available. The Tennessee Titans, another QB-needy squad, have the top pick.

If Ward slips in the draft, he intends to make teams pay for passing on him.

“OK, you’re either going to draft me or you’re not,” Ward said Monday while receiving the Davey O’Brien Award. “If you don’t draft me, that’s your fault. You’ve got to remember you’re the same team that’s got to play me for the rest of my career, and I’ll remember that.”

The last thing the Browns need is another painful reminder of their long-standing struggles at quarterback. Since 1999, the franchise has cycled through an astonishing 40 different starters, with Bailey Zappe becoming the latest in this season’s finale.

Adding insult to injury, Cleveland parted ways with Baker Mayfield — once heralded as their franchise savior after being selected No. 1 overall in 2018 — only to watch him flourish in Tampa Bay. Meanwhile, the Browns’ gamble on Deshaun Watson has been a disaster. Cleveland is searching for its next franchise quarterback while they pay Watson what remains of his fully guaranteed $230 million contract.

Cam Ward Defends Decision to Sit Bowl Game

One of the knocks against Ward is that he didn’t play the second half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl with Miami. He sat out the second half and the Hurricanes lost 42-41. Ward was hammered with criticism online but said it was part of the plan.

“I just think we all got what we needed out of it. They seen things that they think they need to work on … for this season coming up. And they also knew, you know, what I had on the line,” Ward said. “We feel like we’re doing what’s best for the program and myself. I mean, it was a hard decision, especially when, you know, some guys on our team didn’t play who I thought should have played. It was also, you know, those guys thought about their future the same way I thought about mine.”

Ward wrapped up his college career with 158 touchdown passes and 18,189 passing yards. During his time with the Hurricanes, he set single-season school records for passing yards, completions (305), and touchdown passes (39).

Browns Need Solution at Quarterback

It’s no secret that the Browns need to find their next quarterback. Watson re-injured his Achilles during his rehab, which will likely cost him all of next season. And Watson is unlikely to play another snap in a Browns uniform.

Ward could be the answer. He comes with a lot of tools, although he’ll need to refine his play for the NFL level.

“Gunslinger with good size, a big arm and the mobility to help out his offensive line,” Lance Zierlein of NFL.com said in his breakdown of Ward. “Ward can read the full field and operates with average decision-making and processing quickness. Like a shortstop, he rips sidearm rockets that fit into tight windows on all three levels, but his delivery and mechanics cause inconsistencies with placement and accuracy. He is fairly consistent regardless of the coverage scheme he sees, but figuring out disguised coverage on the pro level will take time, and it is not a given he will develop that skill.”

If the Browns don’t opt for Ward or Sanders, they’ll look to a veteran solution. Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins are popular names who have been floated for Cleveland.