The Browns will hold their first minicamp at the end of April and they have decisions to make beyond figuring out whether center Alex Mack will still be on the roster at that point.
They have to settle on a quarterback to join the roster because Brian Hoyer’s rehab from a torn ACL leaves him unlikely to take many snaps during on-field work at that point in the offseason. Alex Tanney is the only other quarterback on hand, leaving coach Mike Pettine to say that the team will likely be signing a veteran quarterback to join the team before that first camp gets underway.
“As far as Brian’s been concerned, I know he’s progressing very well,” Pettine said, via ESPNCleveland.com. "[Trainer] Joe Sheehan’s been with Brian step for step with his rehab. I know that he will be at least available on a limited basis, but to the exact extent -- what he can do drill work-wise, whether we can extrapolate that out and have him do some 11-on- 11 stuff -- that question hasn’t been answered yet. He is ahead of schedule. We feel good about where he is. Certainly when you look at where he is and with Alex Tanney being the only other quarterback, that is a position we need to address.”
The list of veteran free agent quarterbacks was never particularly strong this offseason and the pickings are quite slim now. One possibility is Rex Grossman, who played for offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan in Houston and Washington and would presumably be able to step right into what he’s put together in Cleveland.