Getty

Ty Simpson #15 of the Alabama Crimson Tide still is connected to the Cleveland Browns as a Shedeur Sanders challenger.

By all accounts, the Cleveland Browns are heading into the 2026 NFL draft with no real plans to address the biggest weakness on the roster. That would be the quarterback spot, where Shedeur Sanders comes in as the incumbent and the early leader to resume his role as QB1, and Deshaun Watson is the injury-wracked veteran option who has a Pro Bowl resume, but has torn his Achilles tendon twice in the last two years.

The Browns have already invested heavily in their offensive line in free agency and are predicted to do so even more in the draft, where they can add youth and depth. They are also expected to use a high pick on at least one wide receiver, the other spot that is a major weak spot for this offense.

But they’ve not lifted a finger to sign or trade for a veteran quarterback. And there is not much indication that they will pursue one in the NFL draft. Which, for Cleveland.com beat writer Ashley Bastock, could mean they’re in prime position to fool us all and pick one anyway: Alabama star Ty Simpson.

Browns Have Links to Ty Simpson

The connections between the Browns and Simpson are well-known at this point. Before he began his career at Alabama, Simpson was being recruited, and one of those recruiting him was Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who just happened to know Simpson’s father, who is also a coach and is an alum of Southern Miss, where Monken had been head coach.

Now, Monken is the Browns’ head coach, and both he and Simpson have spoken longingly about the possibility of joining forces. But realistically, the Browns don’t seem to think they’re ready for drafting a QB–though Bastock disputes that.

Could Browns Get Ty Simpson in Round 2?

Writing on Thursday morning and using the Pro Football Focus draft simulator, with the NFL draft one week away, Bastock predicts two things that go against the grain of recent conventional wisdom around the Browns and Simpson–first, that they will use a pick on a QB, and second, that Simpson will not be drafted in the first round.

She writes: “Let’s get controversial. Simpson is still available at this point in this run of the simulator. …

“This move gives the Browns another swing at the plate in the QB room in a competition that currently is focused on Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders.”

‘Low-Level NFL Starter’ Behind Shedeur Sanders

In a way, Simpson does make sense for the Browns, no matter how they seek to approach the starting role in 2026. He has a limited collegiate resume, having waited his turn behind Jalen Milroe before getting the starting job last season. That means Simpson has just 15 starts under his belt in college.

In other words, he is a prime candidate to be drafted this year and just sit for a full season as the Browns ee what they have in Shedeur Sanders.

As The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, the site’s draft guru, wrote in his scouting report: “Simpson has the command and process of an NFL quarterback, but he needs valuable experience to be more efficient in his reads, and to better understand what is open and what isn’t. He projects as a low-level NFL starter, with the ceiling of a mid-level starter and floor of a backup (reminiscent of Daniel Jones with lesser physical traits).”