The Cleveland Browns no longer have faith in Johnny Manziel. At least that's how it looks after a report claimed Cleveland tried - and failed - to trade for quarterback Sam Bradford. The same report indicated the Browns were aggressively seeking a starting-caliber signal caller, leaving open the possibility of Cleveland trading up in the 2015 NFL draft for Oregon's Marcus Mariota.
Philadelphia landed Bradford on March 10 after essentially swapping quarterbacks with the St. Louis Rams. The Eagles convinced St. Louis to part ways with Bradford and a 2015 fifth-round pick with an offer that included quarterback Nick Foles, a 2015 fourth-round pick and a 2016 second-round pick.
Philadelphia ended up with Bradford, but it apparently wasn't for a lack of other suitors. Rams coach Jeff Fisher told Pro Football Talk last week he had been offered a late first-round pick, and Eagles coach Chip Kelly indicated during Bradford's March 11 introductory press conference that an undisclosed team had offered a first-round pick shortly after Philadelphia acquired Bradford.
Cue the Browns. According to NFL analyst Charles Casserly, one of those teams was likely Cleveland. Casserly, first on Friday to ESPN Radio and again on Monday on the NFL Network, said a "very reliable source" told him Cleveland had offered a first-round draft pick for Bradford.
It's unclear whether Cleveland offered the first-rounder to St. Louis or Philadelphia, but Casserly went on to say the Browns were aggressively looking for a starting-caliber quarterback.
If true, it suggests Cleveland is ready to pull the plug on the Manziel experiment and move on. Veteran quarterback Josh McCown was never meant to be a long-term solution, so the Browns reportedly searching for a first-string quarterback indicates the team has seen enough from Manziel after just one season to know he isn't Cleveland's quarterback of the future.
Assuming the Browns do want to move on from Manziel, expect them to look at Mariota and Florida State's Jameis Winston in the upcoming draft. Winston will likely go first overall to Tampa Bay, but Cleveland does have enough ammunition - the Nos. 12 and 19 picks, namely - to at least try to make a play for Mariota.
If Mariota is still on the board after Tennessee's No. 2 pick, Cleveland would likely need to trade up to leapfrog the New York Jets' No. 6 pick.
