Head coach Kevin Stefanski had six quarterbacks in the offseason. Now, midway through the season, the Cleveland Browns are struggling at the QB position. They sent Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals and are left with Dillon Gabriel as the starter and Shedeur Sanders as the backup. As it turns out, the 2026 QB market doesn’t look promising if they plan to go searching again.

NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah recently touched upon the 2026 NFL draft, and he wasn’t convinced of who would be the top pick. He mentioned Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Alabama’s Ty Simpson, both of whom have been creating buzz lately.

“Now, neither one of these guys approached the grade level of the class (that) we were just talking about,” Jeremiah said on The Rich Aisen Show. “With Drake May, Jaden Daniels, Caleb Williams, like, no, I would say even below Cam Ward from last year, in terms of the grade that they’ll be carrying.”

Simpson has racked up 2,184 passing yards, 79 rushing yards, and 22 TDs so far, while Mendoza has 1,923 passing yards, 196 rushing yards, and 27 touchdowns. Yet, Jeremiah feels, they haven’t made as strong an impression as the 2024 class. This makes things tricky for the Browns, who need a reliable QB.

But when Eisen asked about how Cleveland’s offense, Jeremiah had an interesting take. Instead of chasing another quarterback, he suggested the Browns should strengthen other positions and build better weapons around their current QB. Later, he hinted that they could even look into trading for Los Angeles Chargers QB Trey Lance, whose name has been floating around in rumors, even linking him to the Miami Dolphins.

He admitted that while the player doesn’t have much experience, he is athletic and has impressive arm strength. “To me, and rather than reach for a quarterback you might like not love,” he said, “I’d rather continue to build up the foundation in this draft and then take a flyer on someone like that.” He believes that move will help the Browns’ offense, which seems to hit a new low every week.

As for the top pick in the 2026 draft, that remains a mystery to Jeremiah. He even made a bold prediction while speaking of the Texas Longhorns’ QB Arch Manning.

Is Arch Manning returning to the Longhorns for the 2026 season?

Speaking of the 2026 draft class, the analyst hinted at whether Manning will enter the league. “The arch thing is kind of played out,” he said. “We get a really good sense he’s not going to be coming out.”

There was much hype around the Longhorns player. He was even expected to win the Heisman Trophy. However, he wasn’t able to keep up. While this might not be the best numbers, the QB has made efforts to push the team to the College Football Playoff.

He’s thrown for 1,795 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions, and added 199 rushing yards and six interceptions. Currently, he’s in concussion protocol ahead of the Longhorns’ next big game against Vanderbilt. He’s still a developing player, and there’s a good chance he might return to the Longhorns for another season.

Rece Davis made the same prediction, which is that the player will return to the team in 2026. “I think he definitely is (back at Texas in 2026), and I think they’ll get better up front,” he said, “and I think next year will be a much more productive year.”

While Manning looks to make a decision, the Browns will hope to solve their QB issue.