As the new coaching staff takes shape and the hunt for a general manager continues, let’s look at the state of the Browns roster, starting with the most important position. Who’s worth keeping? Who might walk? Where are the strength and the holes? How do the positions shape up in terms of depth, experience, and contracts? What are the priorities and possibilities for the new decision-makers to consider as they form the 2016 Browns?

Keep in mind that the Browns roster spreadsheet (also linked above under Team) is the place to go for the most detailed, updated look at the current Browns you’ll find on any single internet page.

Quarterbacks

Currently on roster: 5

• Johnny Manziel — All signs point to the imminent departure of this 2014 first-rounder, marking the third Browns miss in eight years on drafting a potential franchise QB with the 22nd overall pick. In 2015, we saw Manziel make some exciting plays and show signs that his talent might translate to this level, given further refinement and a friendly scheme. But the bottom line is that his personal character and lifestyle are not well suited to the job of starting quarterback for an NFL team. He needs to be a trustworthy and fully committed leader. Instead, even the team’s official radio voice, Jim Donovan, calls him a “punk.”
• Josh McCown — In many ways, this old hand played better than we might’ve expected from a 36-year-old journeyman. In the first of a three-year contract, McCown put up the second-best production of his career, more or less. He was a constructive veteran presence in the QB room, with ample arm strength and a bright competitive fire. His shortfall last year was in protecting the ball and his body. He fumbled nine times in an injury-shortened eight-game season. His sole winning start was stellar, though: 457 yards and three TDs in a comeback at Baltimore.
• Austin Davis — Signed in September and soon extended through 2017, he started twice but did not improve on the performance that preceded the Rams releasing him. May top out as a serviceable backup, plenty employable yet at age 26.
• Connor Shaw — The undrafted South Carolina product missed his second year with a thumb injury. If we could just meld Shaw’s attitude and approach with Manziel’s athleticism, we might have a foundation. But we can’t, and Shaw’s tools as a passer are limited.
• Pat Devlin — His phone finally rang back in December, when he re-signed to round out a ravaged depth chart.

Analysis and outlook

The new coach explained it fairly plainly, in the context of the existing roster and the upcoming number two and 32 draft choices:

“I do believe that this team does need a quarterback.”

–Hue Jackson, Jan. 17

It’s hard to weigh in too strongly on Goff or the other draft options until the GM is aboard, except to expect arm strength to be a particular priority for the type of downfield passing attack Jackson would install.

The irony is that the Browns now have four QBs with starting experience under team control for at least two years each, and the over/under for how many they keep is about one. I’m expecting a major investment in one new QB, and the likely acquisition of another.

The best we can hope is to salvage some trade value for Manziel, not so much for the sake of, say, a conditional sixth-rounder, but so that it’s another team taking on his low seven-figure, largely guaranteed salary for this year and next. Waiving him in the near team would add over $4 million in dead money toward the Browns’ salary cap. So there’s a potential benefit to patience, even if Manziel’s borderline bizarre behaviors are ongoing distractions they’re eager to disassociate from.

Surely making the move for a franchise quarterback will be one of the big Browns stories of this off-season. But don’t be surprised if they also sign or draft a second QB if he too is deemed a strong fit for the incoming scheme and regime.

McCown seems like a good option as a veteran backup and mentor to a young gunslinger, but he will be 37 in July. And he’s due to earn north of $4 million this year, only $1 million of which is guaranteed. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the new braintrust will deem McCown a luxury beside the point for a rebuilding team.

That’s especially true if Austin could serve as a younger, more affordable backup who has ten NFL starts under his belt. But I don’t see him, Shaw, or Devlin as particularly well-equipped to succeed in a Hue Jackson offense.

In short, when it comes to changes at quarterback, anything goes. Starting with Johnny, but there’s a chance for total upheaval. It’s very likely that the Week 1 starter in 2016 has yet to arrive. The story behind the scouting and securing of the next great Browns QB hope will be one to follow closely in the coming months, as it could set the franchise’s direction for the next decade.