How Real is the Cleveland Browns' Interest in Ty Simpson?

As long as the Cleveland Browns are looking for a bonafide franchise quarterback, they will always be linked to the hottest QB names available in any given offseason. That's no different this year; however, the names aren't all that glamorous in 2026. 

For a very fleeting moment there was some speculation that they'd pursue top free agent Malik Willis. Within hours of free agency opening, Willis was on his way to Miami on a two-year deal.

So much for that. 

Before free agency began there was talk of a potential trade for San Francisco 49ers backup Mac Jones. A fun thought, until GM John Lynch poured colt water on that idea in February. "I'd be very surprised if Mac wasn't around us next year," he said. 

Kyler Murray briefly became a conversation when the Arizona Cardinals made it known they were releasing him at the start of the new league year. But the Browns aren't ready to compete for a championship and thus were never a serious destination for him. 

And so that leaves the draft as the only logical place left for the Browns to ... maybe? ... upgrade the position. The problem is, this year's QB class is considered weak by NFL standards. 

There's Heisman winner and National Champion Fernando Mendoza – he'll be a Raider next month – a big gap, and then Ty Simpson of Alabama, who made just 15 starts in college. Where Simpson gets selected is one of this year's biggest draft mysteries. 

He's been mocked by some in the know as early as the first round, but a slip to Day 2 feels possible if not probable. Where he goes may just depend on how serious the Browns are about selecting him. 

There has been plenty of smoke linking the two parties, including the fact that Cleveland used one of its top 30 pre-draft visits to host Simpson. 

Adding fuel to that fire is the fact that new Browns head coach Todd Monken recruited Simpson when he was the OC at Georgia between 2020 and 2022. Simpson's dad is also a well-respected college coach at UT Martin in Tennessee, and knows Monken fairly well. 

With all that in mind, it's unlikely Monken and the Browns would be jerking Simpson around for no reason. The question is whether or not they're interested enough to use one of their three picks in the first 39 or four picks in the first 70 to draft him. 

To this point, Monken has leaned heavily into the idea that their quarterback situation will be an open competition between the three guys currently in the room: Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel. It's a concept many fans have already accepted as reality, especially after the team did nothing to address the position in free agency. 

If they've got their sights set on Simpson then maybe that was by design. 

Tackle and wide receiver remain the Browns' biggest needs entering April. It's also rare for teams to draft QBs in the second round. So what does all this mean? 

The Browns' interest in Simpson does feel genuine. But it's also the heart of silly season, where teams float misinformation to throw other teams off their scent. GM Andrew Berry executed that beautifully last year when he talked up two-way, Heisman winner Travis Hunter for weeks, only to trade back from No. 2 overall and allow the Jaguars to draft him.

This feels eerily similar. 

Again, that's not to say the Browns' brass doesn't like Simpson. It seems like they also understand where they're at as a team, though, and that addressing other areas of the roster will take precedent over a QB. 

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