The Cleveland Browns could choose to mostly stand pat in March when it comes to the quarterback position. With Shedeur Sanders on a rookie contract through 2028 after starting the final seven games of last season and Deshaun Watson returning from a twice-torn right Achilles tendon, the team could again wait until the draft to fill out its quarterback room and potentially hold another training camp competition.
There are a few potential trade options, too. Three weeks from the NFL’s player movement period, the Browns will assess every avenue as new head coach Todd Monken and his staff continue to evaluate the quarterbacks already on the roster and a draft class with only one sure-fire first-rounder, likely No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza.
If the Browns choose to try the free-agency route, there’s one name who’s going to be above the others on every list: Malik Willis, a player who’s made six career starts and thrown 155 career passes. Willis will be 27 in May and seems set to turn three starts with the Green Bay Packers into at least $35 million in guaranteed money and his first chance to guide his own team.
The rest of the potential free-agent group is an uninspiring mix of older players who have been there, done that — some who have done it in Cleveland already — and a few young players who have bounced around the league in recent years. Willis has resurrected his career two seasons after the Tennessee Titans traded him to Green Bay for a seventh-round pick.
For interested teams, the lack of experience must be a concern. By comparison, Sanders threw 212 passes over the last two months of his rookie season. But given the lack of options and the momentum Willis created in Green Bay, he certainly will be viewed as an upgrade by some teams and might be seen as a high-upside player who’s just getting started.
Willis made just one start last season, completing 18 of 21 passes for 288 yards and a touchdown in a Week 17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. A week before that, he replaced the injured Jordan Love and went 9-for-11 for 121 yards and a touchdown as the Packers lost a heartbreaker in overtime to the Chicago Bears.
Willis was always a developmental prospect as a third-round pick out of Liberty, the third quarterback taken in a 2022 draft that produced just one hit: Brock Purdy, the final pick at No. 262. Kenny Pickett was first at No. 20, Desmond Ridder was second at No. 74 and then the Titans took Willis at No. 86 before giving up on him after two years.
The Browns took themselves out of the hunt for a draft-eligible quarterback in 2022 by trading three first-round picks for Watson five weeks before the draft. The Packers traded for Willis ahead of the 2024 roster cutdowns because they needed a backup. They ended up needing Willis almost immediately after Love was hurt late in the season opener that year. The Packers won both of Willis’ September starts.
Willis (6-foot-1, 225 pounds) has natural running ability and plenty of arm strength. He hasn’t thrown an interception since his rookie season. Matt Schneidman, The Athletic’s Packers reporter, wrote that Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur “pinpointed an improvement in Malik Willis’ footwork as a central reason that Willis went from a failed third-round pick in Tennessee to a starting-caliber quarterback after two seasons as Jordan Love’s backup. Willis proved he’s far more than just a runner, showcasing his accuracy on throws both intermediate and deep when LaFleur took off the training wheels.”
After Willis’ strong showing in that start against the Ravens in December, The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen wrote that Willis’ standout traits are “his deep accuracy, ability to run and pocket presence. The last trait could be the most important. Willis looks poised and unfazed by pressure, and he’s exceptional at manipulating the pocket, which is a rare trait.”
Nguyen wrote that Willis was primarily a pocket passer in that Baltimore game, a sign of growth from the run-heavy game plans that LaFleur designed for Willis in 2024. Willis’ primary weakness remains his inability to throw over the middle of the field, something that must improve going forward.
“There have been mobile quarterbacks who have succeeded and have been productive without frequently attacking the middle of the field, but this looks like a legitimate weakness that play callers will have to navigate around,” Nguyen wrote.
Still, the prevailing opinion remains that Willis is ready to be a starter — and get paid handsomely for basically four strong appearances over two seasons. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst acknowledged last week that he’ll probably lose Willis in free agency to a team that gives him a chance to start.
As Baltimore’s offensive coordinator, Monken helped two-time MVP Lamar Jackson to the best two passing seasons of his career in 2023 and 2024. No one is saying Willis can be Jackson, but Monken built an offense that utilized Jackson’s mobility and arm strength.
The Browns are undertaking almost a complete offensive reset starting next month, so getting a quarterback with a known skill set and a presumably high ceiling as the centerpiece could be a good place to start. The Browns, under general manager Andrew Berry, are known for backloading contracts.
Even with the Browns needing to restructure Watson’s deal to become salary-cap compliant and rebuild the offensive line and wide receiver groups, they can be a real bidder for Willis if they choose to. With four of the first 70 picks in this year’s draft and two first-rounders, the offensive rebuild picks up in April.
The list of potential Willis suitors seems short: the Browns, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings are probably on it. Maybe they’re not the only ones, but those four seem to top it.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could run it back with Aaron Rodgers while developing 2025 late-round pick Will Howard. MVP Matthew Stafford announced that he plans to play at least one more season with the Los Angeles Rams. The Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback situation remains uncertain. The Indianapolis Colts figure to re-sign Daniel Jones. Maybe Minnesota will opt for an experienced backup such as Kirk Cousins, who could help tutor J.J. McCarthy and serve as insurance.
The team that signs Willis is signing him to start. So maybe there’s another surprise at quarterback somewhere across the landscape over the next few months, and maybe teams will end up liking the passing prospects in the 2026 draft more than early projections suggest. But Willis landing as someone’s starter by the end of the first day of the player movement period seems a certainty.
Though there are obvious links between Willis and Miami, the Dolphins’ recent run of cap-based cuts was going to happen regardless of the team’s immediate plans. On Monday, the Dolphins announced that they’re moving on from wide receiver Tyreek Hill, defensive end Bradley Chubb, guard James Daniels and wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
There has not yet been a resolution on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who has $54 million in guaranteed salary for 2026. Miami positioned itself to save around $56 million on the 2026 cap with Monday’s releases.
Miami’s new head coach is Jeff Hafley, who was previously the defensive coordinator in Green Bay. New Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan also previously worked for the Packers. So the Dolphins know Willis and almost certainly will need a new starting quarterback, but they could choose to push their big QB decision off until after the upcoming season. There’s also a chance that if multiple teams like Willis, some could get hesitant — or even priced out.
Maybe the Browns really like Sanders or still hold out some far-fetched hope that Watson can perform well if called upon. But in all of the layers of the ongoing (and upcoming) internal quarterback discussion, Willis stands as his own bet. If the Browns traded a pick (or picks) to the San Francisco 49ers for Mac Jones, they’d get Jones on a 2026 base salary of $3 million and then plot the future accordingly.
Sanders, Dillon Gabriel and any quarterback from the 2026 class are cheap — now and for years to come. The Browns still have around $130 million in commitments to Watson, who will carry a cap number of around $39 million this year after his deal is restructured again.
The Browns will have enough flexibility to chase at least one top-tier free agent. We’re just a few weeks from finding out whether they’ll target their next starting quarterback immediately or let the mystery linger into late spring and summer.