Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Cassel on Browns' radar?
By Tim Kavanagh
In the wake of the reports that the Kansas City Chiefs have reached a deal to acquire Alex Smith, there are a number of after-effects. One of them is that current Chiefs QB Matt Cassel is going to be released, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. So now we can add Cassel to the list of passers on the radar of QB-needy teams around the league, and the Cleveland Browns are thought by some to be one of those teams.
So is he a possibility for them, to be signed to compete with incumbent starter Brandon Weeden? ESPN AFC North blogger Jamison Hensley says not to rule it out:
Jamison Hensley
Would Cassel interest the Browns?"He was a disaster last season for the Chiefs, going 1-7 in eight starts in 2012. His 66.7 passer rating ranked 32nd in the league. Still, Browns vice president of player personnel Mike Lombardi is close with Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who drafted Cassel in 2005. While the Browns haven't named Brandon Weeden their starter for 2013, it seems like they're down to looking at lower-tier quarterbacks like Cassel and Matt Moore to come in and compete with him. There is also still a chance that the Browns could trade for Patriots backup Ryan Mallett. At this point, Weeden is the favorite to hold onto the job, and as I wrote earlier today, he remains the Browns' best option."
