Zac Jackson: Browns' next trade has to be for QB Anthony Richardson

0:00Life could feel overwhelming, but you don't have to go through it alone. On my podcast, From the Heart with Rachel Brayton, I share openly and vonderably about everything life brings us, and what we can learn by living with our hearts a little bit more open. Every Friday, a new episode brings you a new story with topics on self-care, motherhood, healing, and more. You are enough, just the way you are. This podcast is a reminder of that. Follow and listen to From the Heart with Rachel Brayton, wherever you get your podcasts. All right, come by coming to an end and already the Browns maneuvering to start the overhaul of the offensive line and the offense in general. What does it mean for the draft? What does it mean for the free agency period that's coming up? Nobody better to have on right now joining us on the make it right. Kyle Rae Hotline, Zach Jackson, fresh off his appearance in Indy. Zach, it was obviously a very busy time for you,

1:04and he's surprised that the Browns already getting to work on that offensive line. No, because they got a lot of fixing and replacing to do. So, I'm interested to see if Howard is going to be the right guard or the right tackle. He's played both. He's certainly in the plans, and it's the kind of period that always made sense. So, he's 30. They pushed his money forward, which is what they do. But to me, it's not just on the line, it's kind of everywhere over the next week and a half and really even beyond that. Is there going to be a concert of the effort to get starters in specific positions and say, hey, we're here and we want to be really good here? Or is this just a kind of head to get? Because he has experienced, because he can play multiple spots. And is it going to be a more patient, more open rebuild? We don't know that answer, and this one doesn't necessarily answer that for us, right? But it's the kind of move they had to make, and they didn't wait. So, I don't know if they've ever made a trade with Houston before

2:05and how those have worked out, but this guy's been a good player. All right. 20 million a year plus and a fifth round are the ones that they got in the Kenny Pickett trade. So, what does that tell you about the commitment? I mean, it's kind of, it's a commitment, but it's not a huge one. You know, that's the first pick of the fifth round, but they have two others. I think they were always going to use at least one of those on a veteran player. They chose offensive line. They chose it right now. So, I mean, we don't know what's going to happen with Joel, but it was obvious the right side of the line was not coming back. The center is not coming back, at least not until midseason at earliest. And we don't know what's going to happen at either tackle spots. Do you have a guy that can play two spots and the guy who's played? I mean, this is a really good youth, you know, for March of a fifth round pick. And then you still have more if you need to address wide receiver and we don't know what's going to happen at the most important spot. But for this Brown team, you could easily make the argument

3:07that offensive linemen is the most important spot. And one, they were always going to be investing in trade for agency, second wave of free agency, waiver wire down the road. And this group is probably going to be a working progress throughout the whole summer. How much do you think this trade changes the Brown's plans at six or 24, Zach? Probably not at all, Darryl. I mean, it could sway them, you know, to trade down. But like, if you, if you like a player enough to take him at number six and he's 21 years old, then like, and he's a right tackle, you're going to take that player. And DeWon Jones isn't going to change that in tightest power. Even if he prefers to play tackle over guard isn't going to change that. So we'll see. This is, it's a gradual process. But, you know, I always think I think their preference will be to try to trade down or to take a left tackle. So in that regard, those, those are both open and not really changed by this morning's move. All right. So obviously offensive line was going to be a grouping that they were going to have

4:12to address and that's going to be something that would bring a smile to the face of whoever's going to be under center next year for the Browns. Did you come any closer after your week in Indy to figuring out how they might attack it? Yeah. I mean, I feel like the next trade has to be for Anthony Richardson. You know, I feel pretty strongly about that. That makes perfect sense with the open competition thing he signed from one year. He's got upside. He could compete with your door standards for the starting job in the hope would be obviously that one of them hits and if it doesn't, you're still on track for next year. So when I do my pre-agent and trade target list and, you know, got to amend it even though I'm not done with it yet because of this morning's trade, I think he's going to be the number one target. So maybe he will want to go somewhere else. I don't really buy into the thought of him going and sitting somewhere because he's only signed for one year. So it makes just a lot of sense for the Browns to go that route. It would probably be one of the other two fifth round picks to acquire it and he would

5:17get in and have a chance to resurrect his career compete for the starting job and try to put things together. He started 15 games last year was lost but he was always drafted too young and drafted too early and like I said, it would be the low cost thing that would allow the Browns to continue to upgrade other areas to support. You know, whoever is going to be that QB or the multiple players that we're going to take snaps in 2026 for the Browns. Last week, Zach, I think you said Malik Willis, you felt was like the Browns plan A. So are you under the impression now? No, I did not say that I did not say that he was plan A. I said that the Browns will have a chance to be very involved with Malik Willis and they will, they're on a very short list. So I never thought they would get him but I very certainly did not say he was plan A. I understand why they would go for it and I think that they have to. I think when you look at the teams that are interested, they could have a seat at the table so and they could certainly afford him if they want. Now it's a big commitment down the road.

6:18It would be a big gamble on a guy that has only made six career starts and you'd have to get it right but in that role, you can't think that you're going to get it wrong and you've had a 26-year search for starting quarterback and then you're starting quarterback. So it represents a pivot from the thought of open competition, right? But it would be bold, sure, but I think it's the strange circumstance that led him to be here hitting the market and I think Miami is a clear favorite but their cap situation is worse than the situation here. We don't know what's happening in Pittsburgh. We don't know what's happening in Minnesota but they have JG McCarthy. You don't have a GM. They might not be able to make a bold move so I think if the Browns want a seat at a small table with Malik Wallace, they would get it and he's clearly the number one pre-agent and number one quarterback target for the reason. Zach Jackson with us on the make it right call Kyle Wright hotline. The wide receivers, many of them creating some headlines and an otherwise pedestrian

7:19combine week from the interviews to the 40 times what stood out to you and could you see Carnell Tate wearing a Browns uniform when all of a sudden done. The transfer portals making these guys faster, huh, these times out of envy. Yeah, I think Carnell Tate is certainly someone they have to explore there and it was weird that his agents apparently so need to need to clarify 40 times. I don't think that that was ever really going to cost him. He's shot to be the number one wide receiver, right? He's got great size. He had great production. He's a super talented kid so I've thought Anthony just my gut that they would go line over receiver to start and I think it's probably more likely that they even go to alignment but I don't know. I think they'll look at it, Carnell Tate and I think that he will go in the top 10 of this draft for sure so I think there are more questions about the next guys. I think Carnell Tate is the wide receiver one on this draft but a lot of times it comes down to personal preference for these teams and where they think they need to go.

8:21So pretty clear that Mendoza is going to go one and Arval Reese is going to go two, right? Or the Texas Tech Edger Usher. So in those other spots before the Browns come on the clock, who's going to go? Is it going to be off at the tackle? Is it going to be receiver? Is it going to be Edger Usher and then what opportunity to trade down does that present the Browns? If teams want to come up for an Edger Usher for a wide receiver or for Caleb Downs, I think we're still weeks away from finding that out but teams left the combine yesterday kind of starting to put pieces together on that and obviously trades got talked to there as they always do. And so now everybody goes back and regroups and focuses on free agency and the veteran trade market for a little while. But I think we're three weeks from Ohio State's pro day and we're two weeks from teams really refocus sitting in, not just on the draft but on okay, who are we really targeting here? And I still think Colonel, he definitely goes 10 and he might go before the Browns pick. Did anything happen or did you hear anything at Indy, Zach, that changed your view of

9:27how you feel like the Browns are going to attack the first round of the draft? No, no, not really, you know, they're piecing it together, right, and there's some interesting young tackles. I mean, what do we know about the Browns draft plans for sure? They always go young and they always go athletic and those guys were the stop three tackles if you include foriling our young and they're all athletic. So it will come down to priority and availability and where they think they fit. And like I said, I think if you draft a tackle that high, you're not necessarily worried about his day one fit or even his day one production. So that's what we're watching here on these next offensive lineman is it's not about the starting five for September as much as it is about the future. And to me, it's fair to say the most interesting quote of the week was Andrew Berry citing the Bears offensive line rebuild last year, which included a trade for two guards signing them a center and drafting a tackle on the second round.

10:27Well, now they've traded for one guard or tackle. They're going to have the ability to sign a guy and then probably do the rest of you to draft, but maybe they will skew more towards experience. You know, I think this trade probably takes them out of trading for a walker little or another experienced tackle. But hey, everyone, I'm Josh Radner and I am so excited to tell you about how we made your mother a rewatch podcast looking back at how I met your mother. And I'm here with Craig Thomas, who co-created the show along with Carter Bay's Hi Craig. Hey, Josh, somehow it has been 20 years since the show premiered. I'm going to check the math on that 10 years since it went off the air and we thought that made this a perfect time to look back. See what the hell we did and why the show still seems to resonate with fans around the world today. Follow and listen to how we made your mother wherever you get your podcasts. You know, I would say over this week guys across the league, there's a hundred players who probably aren't going to be back with their current teams on their current contracts. But whether they end up taking pay cuts or whether they end up getting traded or whether

11:28they end up getting cut because it doesn't work out is a lot dependent on what happens and who else gets signed and who's available. So there's a lot of kind of moving parts. And so I think it's fair to say this isn't the only Browns trade, but they wanted to prioritize this and it would not be any surprise to somewhere along the way. You know, they continue to add better and offensive a lot than I mean, one of the best free agent signings this group has made in six years of season poachic. And that was made like March 28. So it's more than necessarily at the beginning. So you've got a lot of time to piece this together. Zach, Ohio State players that were figuring in big time, the athletic freaks, some of the measurements that we saw, whether it was sunny styles and then the talk about obviously our Valries, Caleb Downs, you mentioned Tate already, you know, who made the biggest leap? Obviously the fans were loving what they saw to sunny styles. Did the teams like it just as much?

12:29First of all, I want to say this trade disappointed me in regard to I wanted to come out here and just talk his hopes with you when we started, but then we started talking tight as Howard. Yeah, I think the buzz guy with styles, I mean, six, five and two, forty four, four to four and vertical jump, you know, it's like not that anybody was shot, but when you see those in front of you, it's like jaw-dropping. And these guys are all freaks. So it's a machine they've built there and it's not stunning. So if Reese uses that and uses the rest of the process to lock up the number two pick and sunny styles goes top 10, and I was talking to someone who was like, hey, this team's got, you know, like four of the top 12 and maybe more depending on what, you know, what teams end up doing. So they are crazy freaky and then style's brother ran like under four three, right? If insane, I remember watching sunny styles play high school basketball one time, just thinking this is not a human being and so fast forward three years, then we've been

13:32saying this is not really a normal human being. Like you, Zach, Drew Aller had a Charlie Fry jersey hanging out in the dog pound. What do you make of him? He obviously gave everyone the warm and fuzzy around here with what he said about the browns growing up in North East Ohio and all those type of things, but just what do you think his prospects look like right now? Well, he certainly, if any, get drafted and some people think it could be as early as the third round. So I think that just depends on how these next few weeks go. You know, what really were his medicals and everybody else's medicals and interviews. And then what is, what is the market? You know, I don't know who other than Mike Willis, Kurt Cousins and potentially Mac Jones is really going to be prioritized, girl, you know, over these next few weeks. So then, you know, how do teams view the other quarterbacks in their own quarterback situations? I don't think anyone looks at Drew Aller and says, 2026, but I think if you look at Drew Aller and say, okay, he just didn't perform in some big moments.

14:35He had bad injury luck, maybe the team around him wasn't as great as they thought. Like, if you end up liking him through this process and you take him in the fourth round and point down the road, like, I think that's where he lands. I think he probably is a fourth round pick. And you know, as far as the Browns interest or the Steelers interest, it really depends on what they do next week and then if they don't do anything significant next week, you know, how those teams view Simpson and Nussmire. You know, Simpson could go top 15, he could go top 35, Nussmire could go 28, he could go 60. I don't think anybody knows right now. And you know, last week which is kind of the start of teams really narrowing in on that once they all got to meet with them and check the medicals and everything else. I mean, if Nussmire is healthy last year, I mean, Dane Bruegler said it has maintained that he had Nussmire ahead of Jackson Dark last year. Nussmire came back to school, it was a nightmare, some of it was him playing well, a lot of it was not his fault. So how do teams view him now?

15:37And then how to, you know, what the Browns specifically, do they really want this athletic mobile quarterback? Do they have to have that guy? I think, you know, that kind of determines the next step, you know, if they end up in the draft pool, I think they're not going to end up in the draft pool, but they might because, because I think they believe they're not knowing exactly. I think in other positions, which is quite obvious with this morning's trade, they left there with some clear priorities and knowing what they were going to do in the first wave. But in quarterback, I still think that a lot of it is, is probably TBD. All right, Zach, we got to go and we have a lot to react to and we appreciate it. But all I know is this Ohio State has a quad one win and John Carroll just won their conference tournament. That's all I, that's all I paid attention to over the weekend. You, you can have your football and combined stuff. I'll be watching the D3 bracket show at one o'clock and so will you. He's not wrong. All right. Thank you, Zach. Appreciate it. It's Jackson. We miss Quodum. I, there's a debate going on internally over whether, yeah, I feel bad.

16:37We miss Quodum. He heard him wrong. I made a pit on the spot. What do you mean? I'm going to clip right here on Malik Willis, Jack Jackson last week. Well, Zach's already off the phone. Hold on. He's not here to defend himself. Do you want to play? Go ahead and play it. He's the number one free agent. He has taken a huge leap over two years. He was always a developmental player at a position of great importance and a position that, you know, you try to develop guys. He's only two years older than the guys you'd be looking at in the draft and you always pointed to this year where you landed on 6 and 24 and there's no sure thing. You hired a head coach who publicly values a mobile quarterback and was on the other sideline when Malik Willis played the best game of his very short NFL career last year. And I just don't see there's any other way that he would be anything other than Plane. Can you get him? They have to try to find that out. But the way I look at it is they're one of three or four realistic teams. So you at least have a seat at the table and in ten or so days, we're going to know

17:39if they can get him or not. We're any a jury because there's a little wiggle room there. There's a defense that Zach could have. Yeah, he did, he did not definitively say they were, he was playing a, it just would make sense that he would be playing. All right. Well, all that. So I apologize to Zach. That's on me. I didn't mean to rob that bank, it just, I showed up with the gun and the note. It just happened. It just happened. That said, we've, we've got to trade the Browns trading a fifth round pick and committing 63 million. We'll look at what the guarantees end up being for a new offensive line and someone that can potentially play right guard or right tackle with their trade with the Houston Texans today. Well, more reaction from that. And what Zach said in this, I think is an eyebrow razor. What he said is the very next move for the Cleveland Browns, 216, 474, 0092, that straight ahead on sports radio, 92, 3, the fan. Hi, I'm PJ vote and I want to tell you about my podcast search engine.

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