The Browns had the first pick in this year’s draft and they used it on Baker Mayfield, but Mayfield wasn’t the only quarterback they scouted in the months leading up to draft day.
Sam Darnold was also on the list and they will get another look at him this Thursday. This one will be a bit different as Darnold will be leading the Jets offense into action and the Browns will be trying to stop him rather than assessing his fit for their offensive plans.
On Tuesday, Browns head coach Hue Jackson said he hopes the team can use all of the work they did scouting Darnold to their “advantage” on Thursday night.
“We’re going to use every piece of information that we can, you can believe it,” Jackson said, via the team’s website. “We have an idea of who we’re playing — there’s no doubt. He’s a tough, competitive young man. He’s not going to shy away from anything, and he’s going to stand there and try to make plays when need be and doesn’t get rattled much.”
If the Browns can rattle Darnold and win their first game since 2016, that scouting work will have come in handy. If Darnold plays well in the 33rd loss of Jackson’s two-plus years with the team, there will be more than a few people wondering if the Browns made the wrong move in April.