When thinking of a perfect backup quarterback, you might be thinking of someone who is simply competent. If push comes to shove, they can step in and provide a complete four quarter game that's clean, consistent, and steadying.
None of the Cleveland Browns' quarterbacks from 2024 provided such relief, with the closest thing to that description coming from Jameis Winston. Even then, he ended up floundering towards the end of the season, turning the ball over incessantly and never providing hope on long drives for the offense.
So, the Browns not only need a starting quarterback, but they need to completely revamp their quarterback room. That will include signing and drafting a backup or backups to whoever they snag to start in 2025. And, the best backup for the Browns to consider ahead of this offseason is Tyler Huntley.
Huntley is a great fit for Browns at backup in 2025
Aside from the obvious reason - Huntley was on the Browns in 2024 before getting cut and picked up by the Miami Dolphins - he proved he can be a great signal caller in relief of a starter once Tua Tagovailoa went down for the rest of the season in 2024.
Huntley went for 225 passing yards and a touchdown against the Browns in Week 17, having his best game of the season against Cleveland. It might have been giving him extra juice, knowing he was playing the team that cut him, but nonetheless he had a great game against the Browns.
At 26 years old, Huntley can also be a backup with far more experience under center than Dorian Thompson-Robinson, for example, who struggled to find his footing in his two seasons with the Browns. He was brought in sporadically by Miami with Tagovailoa's injury woes all season, and ideally, he wouldn't even need to be brought in by Cleveland unless they're completely tanking or resting starters.
To get someone familiar with the Browns system to some degree would be ideal. While Cleveland did just recently fire their offensive coordinator, Ken Dorsey, Huntley would still be working and learning under head coach Kevin Stefanski. Stefanski, mind you, seems to be steering back towards an offense that worked swimmingly for the Browns in 2023 - a powerful ground game and the occassional moon ball.
So, Huntley would be a great quarterback to swing back onto the Browns. His familiarity and clear ability to be a steady backup that can at minimum get you yardage and the occasional touchdown makes him eons better than who the Browns had at backup this past season already.
