3 Alternatives to Cam Newton the Browns should consider signing at QB

There's no denying Cam Newton's greatness. There is, however, a case to deny Newton being the best option for the Cleveland Browns at quarterback. The team is awaiting the announcement of Deshaun Watson's suspension and how many games they'll need to have a Watson replacement under center for.

The rumors started when Newton's name was linked to Cleveland by Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot:

“There aren’t many available free-agent quarterbacks, but the list includes Garrett Gilbert, who played for the Browns in 2019-20, and 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton."

Newton is a generational talent whose time as a top option may be up. While he can certainly still play at the sport's highest level, he may not be the best fit for the Browns at the moment. Anytime a player ahead of him on the depth chart screwed up, the calls for "Superman" will only grow louder.

Instead, what Cleveland needs is a QB who can accept being a fill-in and can step aside if/when Watson returns midseason, barring a full-year suspension from the NFL.

Here are 3 alternatives to Cam Newton the Browns should consider signing at QB

Garrett Gilbert has experience playing in Cleveland

#3. Garrett Gilbert

Familiarity breeds contempt. Therefore, the hope for Browns fans is that they won't be left seething at a man who is just trying to find a home in the league. This is after he switched from Texas to SMU midway through his collegiate career.

Garrett Gilbert isn't an exciting option for Cleveland to explore considering his lackluster stint with the team back in 2019. In five garbage-time appearances, Gilbert threw three passes. He failed to complete a single one of them. That's the entirety of his career in "The Land."

Given that it was before current head coach Kevin Stefanski stepped into that role in 2020, Gilbert doesn't have system experience. With that said, he may be the most realistic signee to compete with Jacoby Brissett and Josh Dobbs for snaps in 2022.

Mike Glennon is coming off a bad year with the NY Giants

#2. Mike Glennon

Speaking of unexciting backup QB options for the Browns, there's career journeyman Mike Glennon. He has been on five different teams each of the past five seasons.

Most recently, Glenn was the backup to Daniel Jones on the New York Giants. He was forced into a starting role when Jones suffered a neck injury that would ultimately end his 2022 campaign.

Glennon has an 0-9 record as a starter for the Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars the past two years. He has lost 4x as many games as a starter as he's won. That's not the be all, end all metric for a QB's success, but it certainly indicates that he's not the type of player who will win you games from the most important position in the sport.

A.J. McCarron is being worked out by Cleveland as we speak

#1. A.J. McCarron

Two quarterbacks are being worked out by the Browns as we speak. They are former No. 10 overall 2018 first-round draft pick Josh Rosen and fifth-round 2014 NFL Draft pick A.J. McCarron.

Rosen's stock has fallen further than any signal-caller has in recent memory. This is because he was tabbed as a potential top pick in a loaded draft class that featured Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson.

McCarron is likely the option with less of a chance to be worse than incumbent Cleveland QBs Jacoby Brissett and Josh Dobbs.

McCarron recently opened up about his hopes of still playing in the league. He said he is simply waiting on a call from a franchise that he has been offered another chance:

“I feel great. I was blessed to have a great team around me with Dr. (Lyle) Cane, our doctor at Alabama, and Kevin Wilk, who I did a bunch of my rehab with. I got cleared at four-and-a-half months out from surgery, so I’ve just been working on the strength and getting everything back normal, and I really feel great right now..."

“You never know what your future holds, what it is in this game, so I’m just ready, waiting for a call. But right now, I’m enjoying my time off and being able to be a dad and being around my three boys for the first time in a while.”

The Browns can be that call. Given his success at Alabama under Nick Saban, he may have a better chance at being a miracle than anyone else on the market not named Cam Newton.