Newly appointed as the GM of the Cleveland Browns, John Dorsey enters the 2018 offseason with a bag full of weapons envied by peers through the league; 12 picks in the NFL Draft, over $110 million in cap space (2nd in the league after the San Francisco 49ers), and extremely low expectations.
The most glaring need of the team is, without doubt, a franchise quarterback. In the 2018 draft, USC's Sam Darnold and UCLA's Josh Rosen are favorites to go in the top five. Cleveland, with the first and fourth overall picks in the draft, is in prime position to pick a potential franchise quarterback as well as a playmaking offensive weapon. There is no reason why the Browns shouldn't come away from the draft with a top passer as well as an offensive stud, such as tackle Orlando Brown out of Oklahoma or running back Saquan Barkley from Penn State. That is, if general manager John Dorsey plays his cards right.
Back in November, Draft Analyst's Tony Pauline quoted two unnamed general managers to have said “stay away” from Josh Rosen. On Wednesday, he confirmed that one of them is Cleveland's John Dorsey, who was unemployed in November:
I don't think Jon Dorsey cares- he was the one we mentioned as saying "stay away" from Rosen before getting the job in Cleveland https://t.co/LgoHOGbYCA https://t.co/W9AT4k7wum
— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) December 24, 2017
The same day, John Dorsey denied having said such a thing to Cleveland.com's Mary Cay Cabot, on account of having never talked to the Rosen in person.
“It's fake news because first off I've never talked to the kid,” Dorsey told cleveland.com and a small group of Browns reporters here at the Senior Bowl. “I've never talked to anybody about the kid. If you remember right, I was unemployed a couple of weeks ago. I'm finally back in this thing. That's fake news to me.”
The thing with being unemployed is, you don't have to play your cards close to your vest. In fact, you want to be quotable, keep your name out there, and stay relevant. As a GM who figures to be a big player at the top of the first round, however, such a quote can tip your hand to other QB-hungry teams waiting in line (see: New York Giants).
In December, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported a story that alleges Josh Rosen saying he doesn't want to play for the Browns. How much that figures into John Dorsey's preference, the world may never know. How the story actually turns out will be revealed on April 26th in Arlington, Texas.
Follow Us
Subscribe