Getty

Brendan Sorsby #2 of the Cincinnati Bearcats could be a Browns target.

If all works out well for quarterback Brendan Sorsby, then he will win an injunction against the NCAA ruling that left him banned for the upcoming season because of gambling allegations that stretch back to his first two college years with Indiana. Sorsby could win the injunction–filed in Lubbock, Texas, home of Texas Tech–and be able to complete his transfer from Cincinnati to the Red Raiders. He could then suit up for the 2026 season in hopes of becoming a first-round NFL pick in 2027. The Cleveland Browns, of course, are not a petty organization and would not wish ill on a 22-year-old, but it would not be bad for the Browns if Sorsby loses that injunction.

Again, for the benefit of the guy’s long-term career, and for the $6 million in NIL money that is waiting for him if he does layer with TTU, it’s best if he wins the injunction and plays. Sorsby spent 35 days in a gambling rehab facility, and like any addict, will require to press on with whatever his program of recovery is. But he is a football player, and it’s most likely beneficial to him on all levels to be playing football.

So, if his injunction is denied, speculation holds that Sorsby will enter a supplemental draft set up just for him, at some point in July.

Brendan Sorsby Could Be a Bargain

And that’s why the Sorsby thing continues to be a story with a Browns angle. Other teams would surely hold interest in him, but few teams–maybe the Jets, Dolphins, Steelers and Cardinals–need a quarterback like Sorsby as much as the Browns do. Cleveland currently has a Deshaun Watson vs. Shedeur Sanders battle going on for the QB1 role in 2026, but there are questions about which one (if either) might be around to go for the role in 2027.

Sorsby, in a supplemental situation, could prove a bargain for the Browns. Though he has first-round potential, he is still enough of an unknown that he could be scooped up in a supplemental draft (done via blind bidding) for a second-round pick.

Browns Should Not Miss Opportunity

While the Browns seem to have quite enough question-laden quarterback options on hand, the questions are mostly in place because neither Watson nor Sanders is really worthy of being a No. 1. Sorsby isn’t worthy, either, but he could be after a year of seasoning.

And if he is a first-round arm and dual threat QB–as many suggest–who could be had with a second-round price, he’d be worth the Browns risking a pick.

As Zac Jackson of The Athletic noted, the Browns will need to be OK with Sorsby’s spotty background.

Speaking on “The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show,” Jackson said: “They have to do their research to get to a comfortable place because the quarterback situation going forward is completely wide-open. They completely wasted a third-round pick just a year ago. So they have to be comfortable with where they want to be or don’t want to be with Brendan Sorsby.

“I can’t say definitively someone will take Brendan Sorsby because I don’t know what’s going on. But if there’s a comfort level with what went on, someone will take him in the second, third round.”