The million dollar question for the Browns -- or maybe by now it's the billion dollar question -- for many years is, "When will the Browns finally find their franchise quarterback?"
The team has been searching for the answer to that question since they returned to the NFL in 1999. The Browns have had 22 different starting quarterbacks in that period of time.
Will this be the year the Browns finally find the answer to that elusive question? Will it come in this coming weekend's NFL Draft, or will the Browns make a trade for him? Or is the answer to that question already on the roster?
When it comes to where the Browns have historically tried to find their franchise quarterback, it is a mixed bag. So there's no guarantee that if they pull the trigger to trade up for Marcus Mariota or make a move to get Sam Bradford they will have found the answer to that nagging question.
As the Browns continue their quest to find that ever-elusive quarterback, let's take a look at where the Browns have found their best quarterbacks over the years.
The Browns have found some of their best quarterbacks as top draft picks, down the list draft picks, through trades, unrestricted free agents and even as cast-aside free agents.
Here is a subjective ranking of the Browns all-time top 10 quarterbacks and how the Browns obtained them. Five were drafted by the team (three in the first round), three were free agents and two were traded for.
1. Otto Graham (1946-55). How acquired: Free agent
Arguably the best quarterback the Browns have ever had happens to be the first one they ever had. Graham was hand picked by Paul Brown to be the quarterback in the start-up AAFC. He signed with the Browns in 1946 rather than the Detroit Lions, who drafted him to the NFL. Records show the AAFC didn't have a draft until 1947, so Graham isn't listed as a draft pick.
Graham played 10 seasons with the Browns resulting in 10 championships. It is hard to improve upon that. Only Graham's last six seasons with the Browns are counted in the team's records as the Browns didn't join the NFL until 1950. Still, Graham stands third in passing yards with 13,499 yards and is fourth in touchdown passes with 88. He is fifth in career completions and fifth in quarterback rating at 78.1.
"Otto was my greatest player," Paul Brown was quoted saying about Graham. "He had the finest peripheral vision I had ever seen, and that is a big factor in a quarterback. He was a tremendous playmaker. He had unusual eye-and-hand coordination, and he was bigger and faster than you thought."
Graham was named to the Pro Bowl five times and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965.
2. Brian Sipe (1976-83). How acquired: Browns 13th-round draft choice in 1972.
Sipe spent time laboring on the taxi squad before finally breaking in as the team's quarterback in 1976. Sipe is the Browns career leader with 23,713 passing yards, touchdowns (154) and completions (1944). Sipe is seventh all-time with a quarterback rating of 74.8. Sipe was selected to the 1981 Pro Bowl and won the 1980 NFL's Most Valuable Player Award.
3. Bernie Kosar (1985-92). How acquired: Browns 1st-round draft choice (supplemental 1985).
Kosar finished his career second behind Sipe in passing yards (21,904), completions, quarterback rating (81.6) and third in touchdown passes (116).
Kosar led the Browns to three AFC Championship Games, which resulted in three losses to prevent the Browns from advancing to their first Super Bowl. Kosar was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1988.
4. Frank Ryan (1962-67). How acquired: Multi-player trade with Los Angeles in 1962.
Ryan came to the Browns to back up Jim Ninowski but took over when Ninowski was injured and held on to the starting role for much of the next six seasons. He led to the Browns to their last NFL championship in 1964 when he threw three touchdowns passes to Gary Collins in the Browns 27-0 win over the Colts.
Ryan was rewarded for his performance with the first of three straight Pro Bowl appearances in 1965, 1966 and 1967.
Ryan is second in passing touchdowns with 134, fourth in passing yards (13,361) and completions (326). His quarterback rating is third-best at 81.4.
5. Milt Plum (1958-61). How acquired: Browns 2nd-round draft choice (1957).
Plum recorded the best rating of any NFL quarterback prior to 1989 with a 110.4 for the 1960 season. That mark still holds as the fifth-best all time.
Plum has the best quarterback rating in Browns history at 89.9, while he is sixth in touchdown passes and seventh in yards passing with 8,914. Plum made the Pro Bowl twice with the Browns in 1961 and '62.
An interesting note is in 1960 and '61, Plum's backup for the Browns was Len Dawson, who went on to a hall of fame career with the Chiefs after being traded by the Browns.
6. Bill Nelsen (1968-71).How acquired: Multi-player trade with Pittsburgh in 1968.
After backing up Ryan for three games in 1968, Nelsen was elevated to the starting role and led the team to the playoffs, winning nine of his 11 starts.
In 1969, Nelsen had another strong season, leading the Browns to a 10-3-1 record and a postseason berth, as well as being selected to his only Pro Bowl.
Nelsen ranks fifth in career passing touchdowns for the Browns with 71 and is sixth in passing yards with 9.725 and eighth in quarterback rating at 72.1. Nelsen was named to the Pro Bowl in 1970.
7. Tim Couch (1999-2003).How acquired: Browns 1st-round draft choice (1999) and the No. 1 overall pick.
Couch ranks first in highest completion percentage with 59.8. He is third in career completions, fifth in yards passing with 11,131, sixth in quarterback rating (75.1) and seventh in touchdown passes thrown.
Many feel that Couch never was able to be successful and live up to his potential because he was beaten up so badly physically by the porous lines the Browns had in their return as an expansion team.
8. Mike Phipps (1970-76; 71-73).How acquired: Browns 1st-round pick in 1970 (third overall after acquiring pick in a trade for Paul Warfield).
Overall, Phipps was a disappointment, considering what the Browns gave up in the Hall of Famer Warfield for the right to draft him.
Phipps is eighth all-time in passing yardage with 7,700 yards and 10th in touchdown passes.
9. Vinny Testaverde (1993-95).How acquired: Unrestricted free agent.
Testaverde was viewed as a villain when he arrived as he was Bill Belichick's hand-picked replacement for Kosar. Testaverde led the Browns to an 11-5 regular season record in 1994 and the team's last playoff win over the Patriots on Jan. 1, 1995. Testaverde was the quarterback the last year before the Browns moved to Baltimore in 1995. Testaverde passed for 2,883 yards and 17 touchdowns in 1995.
10. Derek Anderson (2005-09). How acquired: Claimed off waivers from Baltimore
Anderson is 10th on the Browns all-time passing yards with 7,083 yards and ninth in touchdown passes. Anderson was named to the Pro Bowl in 2008. He had one magical season where he threw 29 touchdowns in leading the Browns to a 10-6 record.
Here is a summary of the top draft choices used on quarterbacks, the quarterbacks signed as free agents and the quarterbacks acquired in trades:
Draft choices (only top 4 rounds listed, with exception of Brian Sipe)
1st: Jack Mitchell (1949)
1st: Harry Agganis (1952)
1st: Robert Garret (1954)
1st: MIKE PHIPPS (1970)
1st: BERNIE KOSAR (1985 supplemental)
1st: TIM COUCH (1999)
1st: Brady Quinn (2007)
1st: Brandon Weeden (2012)
1st: Johnny Manziel (2013)
2nd: MILT PLUM (1957)
2nd: Sandy Stephens (1962)
2nd: Rick Norton (1966)
2nd: Johnny Evans (1978)
3rd: Don Klosterman (1952)
3rd: Bob Freeman (1955)
3rd: George Walker (1957)
3rd: John Furman (1962)
3rd: Mark Miller (1978)
3rd: Eric Zeier (1995)
3rd: Charlie Frye (2005)
3rd: Colt McCoy (2010)
4th: Jim Ninowski (1958)
4th: Randy Mattingly (1973)
4th: Gene Swick (1976)
4th: Paul McDonald (1980)
4th: Luke McCown (2004)
13th: BRIAN SIPE (1972)
Trades
FRANK RYAN (1962)
BILL NELSEN (1968)
Gary Danielson (1986)
Mike Pagel (1987)
Ty Detmer (1999)
Trent Diilfer (2005)
Ken Dorsey (2006)
Brett Ratliff (2009)
Seneca Wallace (2010)
Free Agents
OTTO GRAHAM (1946)
Mike Norseth (1989) Plan B
Todd Philcox (1991) Plan B
VINNY TESTAVERDE(1993)
Mark Rypien (1994)
Kelly Holcomb (2001)
Jeff Garcia (2004)
DEREK ANDERSON (2006)
Jake Delhomme (2010)
Brian Hoyer (2010)
Jason Campbell (2013)
Josh McCown (2014)
