#HeyTony: Should the Browns make one last pitch to Tennessee for the No. 1 pick?

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: With any trade up scenario I cannot help but think, “Why not throw that offer at the Titans to get Ward”? Do you think we make another offer to Titans as a run at Ward or do we reach for trade up later?

-- Stevie, Dayton, OH

Hey Stevie: I think the Browns learned the cost of trading up for Ward was prohibitive (next year’s No. 1 + more) and that’s when they formed their strategy, which involved staying at No. 2, signing Flacco, and taking a quarterback after Round 1. At this time, I don’t think the Browns move up into the first round from No. 33, but that could change if their QB targets get swept into the first round. They’re going to have to be nimble on April 24 and they have to have good intel to justify a trade up.

Hey Tony: I understand that Travis Hunter is now the consensus pick at #2. Should I be concerned that he’s listed at only 185 pounds?

-- Dan, Akron, OH

Hey Dan: Hunter’s official measurement at the NFL Combine was 6-0 3/8 and 188 pounds. According to my exhaustive research, he will be the first player in history taken first or second overall to weigh under 200 pounds. I used to be hung up on his size. I’m over it, although I believe his size is another good reason to use him primarily as a receiver rather than as a cornerback.

Hey Tony: What's the farthest you would consider trading down and what would be your requirement in return?

-- Stan, West Des Moines, IA

Hey Stan: I’m at the point where I probably wouldn’t trade down below No. 4, and would only do that in exchange for New England’s No. 1 next year.

Hey Tony: Was the signing of Joe Flacco what was told to Myles Garrett to convince him the Browns had a plan at QB?

-- Andy, Bloomington, IL 

Hey Andy: Way too much has been made of the Garrett saying he knew the Browns’ plans at QB. I think he was surprised by the question and bluffed an answer. Garrett came back for one reason: $123 million in guaranteed new money.

Hey Tony: Any chance the Joe Flacco signing is a smoke screen and the Browns draft Shedeur Sanders and cut Flacco?

-- Jeff, Clyde, OH

Hey Jeff: That would be a pretty elaborate and expensive smoke screen. They’re guaranteeing him $3 million. Did you consider maybe the Browns like Flacco and that’s why they signed him? I mean, were you around in 2023?

Hey Tony: Regarding Flacco’s incentive-laden deal, how does that affect the cap? Does the entire potential value count towards the cap number? Just the base?

-- Matt, Columbus, OH

Hey Matt: Whatever incentives Flacco earns would be counted against the 2026 cap.

Hey Tony: Which quarterback do you see starting game 1 for the Browns -- Flacco, Pickett or Rookie?

-- Mike, Smithville, OH

Hey Mike: My money would be on Flacco, but if Pickett is close he would probably begin season as starter.

Hey Tony: If the Browns believe in a QB that’s within range at 33, would it be better to trade up into 1st for an extra year of team control?

-- Eric, Rock Hill, SC

Hey Eric: Players drafted in the first round automatically receive four-year contracts with a team option for a fifth year. The fifth-year option must be triggered after the player’s third season and comes with a hefty raise and guaranteed salary and cap number. I think the fifth-year option is overrated and not worth using an extra draft pick to make it available. If your quarterback proves that he is your long-term answer, you’ll want to extend his contract as soon as he’s eligible after his third season. The fifth-year option can be a thorny issue if you’re undecided on what you have. If the player proves unworthy of future years – in a big, new contract -- the fifth year becomes a salary cap burden (see: Greg Newsome).

Hey Tony: Nick Chubb appears to be confident that he will, at least partially, get back to his original form. What is the Browns hesitation in signing him? Can we expect it to happen after the draft?

-- Sam, Columbus, OH

Hey Sam: The Browns want to get fresher and more explosive at the lead running back position. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t bring back Chubb, but it means he would have to accept a lesser role with a commensurate salary. I’m hopeful Chubb will come back, but if he gets another offer I don’t think he will.

Hey Tony: Thank you for mentioning the Tommy Rees angle this morning on RBS … of course this is a huge factor in Milroe. Do you see that same scenario for Will Howard and the Raiders with Chip Kelly?

-- Dan, San Diego, CA

Hey Dan: Yes. Of course. I would peg Howard to the Raiders in the third round.

 Hey Tony: In your time covering the Browns, what was the biggest jaw drop you ever had over the Browns selecting a player in the draft?

-- AJ, Avon, OH

Hey AJ: In the moments before the Browns’ turn came with the 21^st pick of the 2003 draft, we scribes in the Browns’ media room had no consensus on which player coach and de facto GM Butch Davis would take. We each tossed out a name, and nobody was confident with their guess. Finally, I said, “Watch them take a center. If they take a center, I will stand up and walk out of here.” Sure enough, Davis picked a center – Jeff Faine of Notre Dame. Everybody’s jaw bounced off the floor. And I did not stand up and leave the room, by the way. We were all baffled because Davis favored players he coached at the U. or players he coached against, or players he recruited. It turned out that Davis, in fact, recruited Faine to Miami, but Faine chose to attend Notre Dame.