Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam refuted the idea of possibly eyeing Arch Manning for the 2026 NFL Draft, expressing his personal opinion (which many share) that the Texas quarterback will stay in college for another two years. Nevertheless, the billionaire businessman did make the short flight to Columbus for Saturday's battle between the No. 1 Longhorns and No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes. He is also in Death Valley.
Haslam and approximately 40 scouts and executives are in Memorial Stadium for the prime-time matchup between No. 9 LSU and No. 4 Clemson, according to On3's Chris Low. Both of the QBs featured in that game will be heading to the NFL next year, something Browns fans and the organization itself are keenly aware of at the moment.
Clemson's Cade Klubnik and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier are each expected to vie for the top spot in the draft order, a place that Cleveland could certainly occupy following what many fear will be an awful 2025-26 campaign. Super Bowl 47 MVP Joe Flacco will begin the season under center, but rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders also stand a decent shot at getting reps, especially if things go sour in a hurry.
That ongoing evaluation period is not preventing Haslam from keeping his options open. The Browns' inability to correctly identify the right signal-caller is most responsible for their consistent failures, with the disastrous Deshaun Watson acquisition serving as their latest embarrassment. They cannot afford to miss on the position again.
Will either Cade Klubnik or Garrett Nussmeier be starting for Browns in 2026?
If neither Gabriel or Sanders can convince management that they have what it takes to grow into a franchise QB, Cleveland will have an opportunity to try again. Klubnik and Nussmeier have already made their presence known in college and figure to factor into this year' Heisman Trophy race.
The former threw for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns last season, while also rushing for 463 yards and seven scores. His efforts helped Clemson secure the ACC title and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. The latter does not have nearly the same level of mobility, actually tallying negative rushing yards in 2024, but he could sure sling the football. Nussmeier completed 64.2 percent of his 525 pass attempts for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns. He also tossed 12 interceptions, which were twice as many as Klubnik posted.
The public has much to debate when it comes to these two quarterback prospects. Some fans will scrutinize the ACC schedule that Cade Klubnik plays and give Garrett Nussmeier more respect for facing SEC defenses. Others will praise Klubnik's athleticism, while Nussmeier is obviously less of a threat outside of the pocket. The Browns brass must take all of this in consideration.
Luckily, Jimmy Haslam has a prime seat from which he can critique it all. Fans are also watching intently, but they desperately hope that the team already has its answer at QB. Ideally, everyone will find out one way or another in the near future.
