Cleveland’s front office signals it isn’t done reshaping its quarterback room — and one Alabama standout keeps coming up
The Cleveland Browns may not be finished tinkering with their quarterback depth chart. General manager Andrew Berry confirmed this week that Alabama signal-caller Ty Simpson remains firmly on the team’s radar heading into the NFL Draft, a revelation that caught more than a few league observers off guard.
Berry, speaking with a small group of Browns beat writers at the league meetings, was measured but deliberate in his words — a combination that, in NFL front office speak, tends to say quite a lot.
Berry’s Vision for the Quarterback Room
The Browns’ front office chief made clear that if Cleveland does bring in another quarterback, the preference leans toward youth. Berry noted the team’s inclination would be to target a younger player to add to the mix, though he stopped short of ruling anything out, acknowledging that the next few weeks could shift the calculus in any direction.
What he was unambiguous about, however, is the organizational philosophy behind any potential addition: competition. Whoever walks through the Browns’ facility doors, regardless of position, is expected to arrive with something to prove and the work ethic to back it up. Berry emphasized that every player added to the roster — at any spot — is brought in because the team sees a tangible skill set worth developing, and the expectation is for that player to push himself beyond whatever baseline he arrives with.
It is a straightforward but telling standard. And for Simpson, it signals genuine organizational interest rather than a casual look.
Simpson’s Stock on the Rise
Berry confirmed that he has already spent time evaluating Simpson directly, with more scheduled before draft weekend arrives. That level of personal investment from a general manager is rarely incidental. The Browns’ top executive added that he believes Simpson has a bright future at the professional level — praise that carries weight coming from someone who will soon be deciding which names land on Cleveland’s draft board.
Simpson, who developed under the Crimson Tide program at Alabama, has drawn attention for his football intelligence and arm talent. His profile fits the mold of a developmental quarterback with legitimate upside — precisely the kind of player a rebuilding team might invest in as a long-term asset behind a more established starter.
What This Means for Shedeur Sanders
The development also complicates the narrative that had been building around Shedeur Sanders, the high-profile prospect who joined the Browns earlier this cycle. Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. suggested last week that Cleveland was no longer in the market for another quarterback specifically because Sanders was already in the fold. That assumption, it turns out, appears to have been premature.
Kiper has been a consistent advocate for Sanders since his arrival in Cleveland and clearly viewed him as the centerpiece of the team’s quarterback future. The renewed interest in Simpson does not necessarily change that dynamic — depth and competition are not mutually exclusive — but it does suggest the Browns are keeping their options wide open rather than locking in a singular path forward.
A Front Office Playing the Long Game
What Berry’s comments ultimately reveal is a front office that refuses to be boxed in. The Browns are building deliberately, collecting assets they believe in, and letting competition sort out the depth chart from the inside. Whether Simpson ultimately joins the roster or not, his name surfacing at this stage of the pre-draft process is a signal worth watching.
Cleveland’s quarterback room, it seems, is still very much a work in progress.
Source: Cleveland.com