4 Burning Browns Questions, Including How They'll Handle Jack Conklin's Return?

With the NFL Combine a week away the Browns have plenty of key decisions to sort through with their roster as they build for 2024. Here are this week's burning questions.

The Super Bowl is behind us and the NFL Combine is just a week away. As the Browns start building for 2024, we'll answer the burning questions that face the franchise each week. Let's tackle four right now!

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A week removed from the Super Bowl, which team are the Browns closer to replicating, the Chiefs or the 49ers?

This is tough because Patrick Mahomes is unreplicable and I'd discourage any team from thinking copying the Chiefs' way of doing things is an easy thing to do. I think there are more similarities between the Browns and 49ers, even without a defense that was too three in the NFL the way the Browns and Chiefs were. I mean, Kevin Stefanski and Kyle Shanahan run very similar systems for starters.

One thing has me leaning Kansas City though and that's the QB situation. Deshaun Watson is not Mahomes, but they're both being paid like top QBs in the sport. The 49ers meanwhile are operating with their quarterback, Brock Purdy, on a rookie deal which is flexibility the Browns just do not have right now. For that reason I'll say the Chiefs.

With Jack Conklin making his way back from injury and tied to the team through a difficult contract to get out from right now, how will the Browns juggle their newfound depth at tackle? 

Conklin's contract is an albatross. Trading him before June first would still leave the Browns with a cap hit of $21 million this season. Doing so after June 1 would allow them to split that up into $7 million and $14 million chunks over the next two years. Ultimately, I think the dead money makes Conklin a thought candidate to be traded right now so he's probably here to stay.

That's not necessarily a bad thing though, even with the emergence of Jones this past season. For starters, Cleveland was ravaged by injuries in 2023, particularly along the offensive line. It doesn't hurt to have depth at any of those spots. Conklin and Wills will likely be your starters at the tackle spots come Week 1 with Jones as the top reserve. Perhaps the Browns can try to test Jones out as a swing tackle who can play either side of the O-line. If he takes to that well maybe he even becomes Wills replacement at left tackle if this ends up being his last season with the franchise.

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Will the Browns pursue Mike Evans if he hits free agency?

This comes on the heels of a report from Jordan Schultz that the Buccaneers had set this past weekend as a deadline to work out a long-term deal and that the two sides are far apart. It sounds like Evans is heading to free agency, but with the franchise tag window opening today there's always a possibility Tampa Bay tags him.

The #Buccaneers had a soft deadline today to get an extension done with Pro Bowl WR Mike Evans, but both sides remain far apart, sources say. Tampa Bay is set to take on $7.4M in 2024 dead money by not getting a deal done today. @BleacherReport

Talks will continue, but my… pic.twitter.com/fNJJFuRceH

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) February 19, 2024

How that all unfolds will be fascinating, but if Evans hits the open market he'll be one of the most coveted free agent wide receivers of the offseason. In 10 years in the NFL, Evans has never not posted a 1,000-yard season. I'm expecting the Browns to explore multiple options for upgrading the WR position this offseason so I'd if Evans is available I'd think they'd be interested. Getting a deal done is a different beast.

Will the Browns turn to Dorian Thompson-Robinson as their primary backup at quarterback in 2024? 

It's certainly possible that the team could value DTR's upside enough that they roll into next season with him as the top backup to Deshaun Watson. Understanding Andrew Berry and the front office mentality about the position is key though.

As Berry said at his end of season presser, this regime has always valued the backup QB spot, enough to spend anywhere between $2-6 million per year on the job since coming to Cleveland. Given how this past season went and the fact that Watson is coming off of a season-ending injury, I think the Browns will look for a veteran to add to the room this offseason. That's not a slight to Thompson-Robinson either. He's just still very much in a learning and development phase right now.