#HeyTony: Will the Browns seek to keep Mike Vrabel in the building?

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.

Hey Tony: Will they let Mike Vrabel get away to coach somewhere else or will they make a move to keep him before the end of the season?

-- Alan, Saint Augustine Beach, FL

Hey Alan: This is the vexing question I believe Jimmy Haslam is grappling with right now. Vrabel will have options in the next hiring cycle. If Haslam decides he has to do something after this wretched season and that something includes changing coaches, then he is not going to feel good about seeing Vrabel leave and take a job with another team. Kevin Stefanski can eliminate this as an option, I believe, if he can stem this tide and go 4-4 over the second half of the season.

Hey Tony: I have tickets purchased a while ago to MNF in Denver Dec. 2. They won’t flex that out will they?

-- Dave, Fairlawn, OH

Hey Dave: The first criterion for the NFL flexing out a prime-time game is if there is a better option to take its place. So happens there are three much better Sunday 1 p.m. games that weekend – Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, the Chargers at Atlanta, and Arizona at Minnesota. So I would think the odds are in favor of the NFL flexing out of Cleveland at Denver. Per their flex rules, the league must make a decision for flexing in Weeks 5-13 no later than 12 days in advance of the game. Since the game falls in Week 13, we will know of a flex no later than November 20. Flexes in Weeks 14-17 must be made at least six days in advance of the game. The Browns have a Week 17 Sunday night game home against Miami also in danger of being flexed.

Hey Tony: How many members of this current offensive line are starting here next year? Joel Bitonio and Jack Conklin are old, Jedrick Wills has expiring contract, Dawand Jones is up and down.

-- Corey, LaGrange, OH

Hey Corey: Two things I’m sure of – Wills won’t be back and Jones will take over left tackle. Beyond that, anything is possible. Bitonio could retire, Wyatt Teller could be traded, and Jack Conklin could be back. There’s a lot of salary bloodletting to be had.

Hey Tony: If the Browns are able to draft a CJ Stroud\Jayden Daniels level QB next year, with their roster does that mean they’d be in contention next year for a SB?

--  Mati, Tel Aviv, Israel

Hey Mati: Yes. Problem is there is no Stroud/Daniels level QB in the 2025 draft.

Hey Tony: With the loss of Amari Cooper, do you see the Browns activating Jamari Thrash or Kadarius Toney at some point this season?

-- Mike, Smithville, OH

Hey Mike: Cedric Tillman was the beneficiary of the Cooper trade, but Thrash deserves play time now, too. Toney? I don’t get that pickup at all.

Hey Tony: What grade do you give GM Andrew Berry on his draft picks since 2020? Would you rate Wills his No. 1 worst pick overall?

-- Tim, Dana Point, CA

Hey Tim: Even the most conservative critic would grade Berry’s drafts below average. Berry has had only two No. 1 picks because of the Deshaun Watson trade. He picked Wills in 2020 and Greg Newsome in 2021. You decide which was worse.

Hey Tony: Is it possible or doable for Deshaun Watson to be released at some point in the offseason, therefore creating some goodwill with the fans and putting this awful chapter somewhat behind?

-- Bryan, Marblehead, OH

Hey Bryan: I’ve seen various horrific scenarios if the Browns cut Watson after the 2024 season. One is he would count $99.8 million against their 2025 cap if designated a post-June 1 release. There would also be dead cap charges in 2026. As for goodwill with fans, the Browns didn’t consider this when they sold the farm for him in 2022, so I don’t imagine it being a consideration now.

Hey Tony: Do you think if Andrew Berry gets let go, the GM position will be attractive even with the cap ramifications?

-- Jacob, Cleveland, OH 

Hey Jacob: As the saying goes, there are only 32 NFL GM jobs. So there would be no shortage of interested applicants. There are a lot of 30-something analytics experts lining the walls of NFL team offices waiting for GM opportunities. However, the job would not appeal to highly-coveted GM prospects with experience who have multiple options.

Hey Tony: What’s a typical number for UDFA rookies on our roster? Follow question, do you think they’ll be a noticeable increase of those players next year because of the Watson Cap hit?

-- Bruce, Mentor, OH

Hey Bruce: A typical number of UDFA rookies on Browns roster is 1 to 3. The Browns have nine draft picks in 2025 (so far), also. They are expected to turn over more than a dozen veteran players with higher salary cap numbers. So they’ll need all the rookie contracts they can get.

Hey Tony: If the Browns were to move on from their GM or coach, how would someone view the organization, the owners and the prospects of being able build a sustainable winner given the salary cap and roster issues?

-- Chris, Wadsworth, OH 

Hey Chris: The first step in recovering from this mess is selecting the right quarterback in the draft. That resets the clock of the QB’s team-friendly rookie contract to three years. The problem is nobody – right now – has a consensus on the best QB in the draft.

Hey Tony: What are the prospects of resigning Nick Chubb to another extension deal and do you believe he can eventually return to pre-injury form or do they need to start a stronger contingency plan in this year's draft?

-- Eric, Columbus, OH

Hey Eric: My position is you do whatever is necessary to make right by Chubb. If that means a short-term deal on the “if come” that he regains close to his prior form, you do it. In my world, Chubb would finish his career with the Browns and no other team.

Hey Tony: After last night vs LSU, Jalen Milroe is our guy. Am I right?

-- Paul, Avon Lake, OH

Hey Paul: One week it’s Milroe. One week it’s Cam Ward. Then it’s Quinn Ewers or Carson Beck. What about Shadeur Sanders? I wouldn’t want to have my franchise’s future riding on this decision.

Hey Tony: Do all the draft picks accumulated mean there will be a lot of rookies and undrafted free agents on the roster next season because of the Watson contract.

-- Keith, Avon Lake, OH

Hey Keith: Yes, that’s what it means.

Hey Tony: With apparently underwhelming QB choices in the draft this year can you provide your assessment of possible free agent QBs? Or do you think there is a Jared Goff to be had via trade?

-- Terry, Sarasota, FL

Hey Terry: Unfortunately, if Browns stay status quo, I would expect them to trade down in the draft. It's impossible at present to predict their moves with a veteran quarterback. That's one reason they need to see Dorian Thompson-Robinson play over an extended time.