The NFL combine always brings about the start of silly season. Lies are told, everyone has an opinion and when it comes to the Browns, only the team’s front office knows the truth. I just want to remind all Browns fans; this front office does not leak. There are no rumors coming out of Berea. There are no league sources with contacts in Cleveland’s front office. What you are hearing about a potential trade of defensive end Myles Garrett is speculation. The definition of speculation is, “the forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence.” To use it in a sentence, “There has been widespread speculation the Browns will trade Myles Garrett to the Eagles.” Or “Based on multiple sources, there’s widespread speculation Myles Garrett has slammed the door shut on a contract extension with the Cleveland Browns.” I love how the word widespread is used in reports, because we all know what else is widespread. Browns GM Andrew Berry and the Cleveland front office does not leak. Never has and never will.

The fun part of the NFL combine is the draft analysis. You can tell a team’s genuine interest by the player interview process. If a team wants to talk to you, they are interested. The top ten prospects will be on every team’s list, but it’s the potential day three picks that interest me. Why did the Browns interview Notre Dame defensive tackle Rylie Mills? Or Clemson running back Phil Mafeh? These are the players who could surprise. OT Dawand Jones was a fourth-round pick. Defensive end Isaiah McGuire was a fourth-round pick. Defensive tackle Jovon Briggs was a seventh-round pick. Wide receiver Michael Woods was a sixth-round pick. The whole process, start to finish intrigues me. The big question for the Browns is who they take at the number two overall pick. I do know they like both quarterback Cam Ward and defensive end Abdul Carter. The big question is what the Titans will do at number one. It’s hard to believe they’ll continue to start quarterback Will Levis. Looking at their draft picks, they have eight, but after the number one overall pick and their second-round pick at number 35, they don’t pick again until pick number 102 in the fourth-round. That’s a large gap in player talent. So the Titans might be inclined to sign a free agent quarterback like Sam Darnold and then trade the number one pick for draft assets.

Finally, the unheard part of the NFL Combine are the free agent deals being made behind the scenes. For some reason, NFL experts expect the Browns to sign a certain bridge quarterback who still isn’t a free agent. I know the Falcon’s GM told the gathered media they “intended” to keep Kirk Cousins on the roster, but I find that hard to believe. The deadline to find out is March 17 when Cousins has a $10 million roster bonus due. In the NFL, money always talks. So, the direction the Browns take in the draft will be determined after free agency. If they do sign a bridge quarterback (Kirk Cousins, Daniel Jones) I expect them to hopefully take a quarterback at number two. My hope is it will be Cam Ward.