Cleveland Browns to send New England Patriots another Ryan Mallett deal?
The Cleveland Browns have long been rumored as the favorites to acquire Ryan Mallett from the New England Patriots, because new Browns General Manager Michael Lombardi has long been a fan of Mallett. The Browns could also use another QB to add to the duo of Brandon Weeden and Jason Campbell, and it seems like Mallett’s arm would be a nice fit for Rob Chudzinski’s vertical offense.
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Greg Bedard of the Boston Globe recently reported that the New England Patriots are still receiving offers for Mallett. He also stated that the three sources close to him that have brought him this news believe that there is a slightly greater chance that Mallett ends up leaving New England. The Patriots are clearly still high on what Mallett can bring to the table, so that means that the Patriots will likely be getting some big offers for Mallett.
I would expect the Patriots to hang up for anything less than a second-rounder, given what they have invested in Mallett and how they view him internally. Mallett is one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league, and his value has risen due to the lack of sure-fire options at the quarterback position in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that here is “draft-day chatter” the Cleveland Browns might try to send another deal to the New England Patriots in the hopes of landing Ryan Mallett. This comes from a source close to Cabot, and Cabot lists Jabaal Sheard and Desmond Bryant as two possible players the Browns could deal to the Patriots. The Browns don’t have a second-round pick in this year’s draft, but I think the Patriots would prefer to pry away a pick instead of a player. But if they like a player enough or the package enough, then they would be willing to pull the trigger. The best-case scenario for the Patriots is if the Browns decide to overpay and give the Patriots a first-round pick in 2014.
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