Browns Urged to Trade for J.J. McCarthy Entering NFL Season

The Cleveland Browns will be going with Deshaun Watson as the team's starting quarterback to open the new NFL season.

But this move has been met with all sorts of backlash. However, new head coach Todd Monken has stood firmly behind his decision.

Cleveland has multiple quarterbacks on the roster behind Watson, including fan-favorite Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel. Many people expect Sanders to take over at the position at some point this season, while Gabriel has drawn trade interest entering the year.

But to this point, the Browns have wanted to keep options open at the quarterback spot. This team doesn't have a franchise option to choose from, giving the organization more chairs to move around.

NFL analyst Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report put together a list of players that the Browns should consider going after. Among them, quarterback J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings was mentioned.

While the Browns don't need another quarterback on the roster, McCarthy could be an intriguing option for this team. After all, McCarthy was a first-round draft pick not too long ago, and he did show some flashes last season with Minnesota.

The signal-caller was limited to just 10 games a year ago due to injury, going 6-4 as a starter. McCarthy threw for 1,632 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions for the year.

On the ground, McCarthy showed some dual-threat ability, rushing for 181 yards and four touchdowns. The big knock against McCarthy with the Vikings was his inconsistency and the fact that Minnesota was trying to compete.

McCarthy lost his starting job this year to Kyler Murray, leaving questions around his future with the Vikings. There have been rumors that the Vikings could look to trade McCarthy, and the Browns may want to jump at the chance.

Adding a talented player like this could give the Browns more options at the quarterback position, and he wouldn't likely cost much to land. Cleveland could use McCarthy as a backup, or even flip him in another trade down the line.

While McCarthy couldn't make it work with the Vikings, maybe a change of scenery could be good for the former Michigan product. Cleveland hasn't been known for its ability to work with quarterbacks in the past, but Monken is an offensive-minded coach.

Even if the Browns were to take the risk on McCarthy, there aren't many downsides. This team doesn't have a set plan at the position moving forward, so adding more options can't hurt.