What if Browns drafted Carson Wentz in 2016? Terry pluto

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Have you seen the Browns sack Carson Wentz five times? Did you notice the Philadelphia QB looking shaken – nothing like the elite prospect of a few years ago?

Around the same time on Sunday, Joe Burrow was hauled off the field with what was diagnosed as an ACL knee injury ending the season.

Finally, I watched how the Browns handled Baker Mayfield. The offense is built around running with a strong offensive line ranked among the best in pass protection this season.

One of the reasons the Browns decided to continue trading in 2016 rather than drafting Wentz with the No.2 pick was the issue of pass protection. Former GM Sashi Brown told me the Browns don’t want to see a young QB get physically pounded as a rookie.

Let’s look at Wentz, who started his career with the Eagles instead of Cleveland:

1. In the 2016 preseason, he broke a rib. He returned to play all 16 games of the regular season as a rookie.

2. In 2017, he was 11-2 as a starter, but suffered ACL and LCL injuries to the same knee. The Eagles won the Super Bowl that year with QB replacement Nick Foles.

3. In 2018, he suffered a “vertebral back fracture”. He played 11 games.

4. In 2019, he suffered a major concussion and missed his team’s first playoff game. He played all 16 games of the regular season.

What’s the point? Wentz suffered a physical pounding with the Eagles, a team far superior to the Browns in the early years of his career.

What do you think would have happened if he had come to Cleveland?

TIM COUCH MEMORIES

Watching Wentz struggle in his team’s 22-17 loss to the Browns, I thought of Tim Couch, the Browns’ first choice in the 1999 draft. He started out as a rookie. He was sacked 117 times in his first three professional seasons.

Couch has had so many injuries it’s hard to keep up. In 2003, he was only 26 years old. The previous two seasons (2001-02), the Browns were 15-15 with him as a starter. But there were so many broken bones, strained ligaments, and concussions that Couch was football’s injured warrior.

He would never play another NFL game after the 2003 season, his fifth as a pro. Will it be so extreme for Wentz? I’m not saying that, but it could have been if he had come to the Browns.

When I wrote Browns Blues, I spoke to Couch. He said he sometimes wondered if his career would have been any different starting with an established team like Pittsburgh.

It’s a good question. If Wentz had come to Cleveland, he would have been with a 1-31 squad in 2016-17. During this period, they launched five QBs. Four times the changes were made because the starter was injured.

WORRIED FOR JOE BURROW

After seeing Burrow play against the Browns twice earlier this season, I reminded a few of my friends of Tim Couch.

“They are going to have this child killed,” I said. “He throws all the time. He runs too often. Why?”

When Burrow was injured on Sunday, he was leading the NFL with 404 attempted passes. Wentz leads by being sacked with 40. Burrow is third with 32. The incredible Russell Wilson, who has never missed a game in nine seasons, was No.2 with 33 sacks.

Like Wentz in 2017, Burrow will undergo major knee surgery. This kid is a formidable prospect, but the Bengals have done a bad job protecting him.

ABOUT BROWN

In retrospect, the big deal passed to Wentz in 2016. That’s what they did with all the draft picks they got in those deals. As Mary Kay Cabot pointed out in her excellent story, they received little in return.

Meanwhile, another thought came while watching Wentz and Baker Mayfield on Sunday. Kevin Stefanski’s first attack does more than keep the pressure on Mayfield to win games himself. It’s a good way to keep a healthy QB.

While Burrow threw 404 assists this season and Wentz has 377, Mayfield is 265. That ranks 26th. Some QBs can throw a lot of passes and avoid injury. Most are veterans smart enough to know when to get rid of the ball. Or when they are hit, they fall. Just take the bag, don’t try to be a hero and act like a running back.

I don’t know what kind of career Mayfield will have. His durability – Mayfield hasn’t missed a game as a pro – is a plus. His new trainer also helps him.

As for Wentz, he’s part of a team that won a Super Bowl in 2017 and has been trending down since then. Between that fact and his variety of injuries, it’s no surprise that he’s having a miserable season.

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New Browns Masks for Sale: Here’s where you can buy Cleveland Browns-themed face coverings for coronavirus protection for adults and youth, including a single mask ($ 14.99) and a 3-pack ( $ 24.99). All NFL profits have been donated to the CDC Foundation.