Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The NFL offseason is warming up and about to hit its stride in less than a month. The combine takes place in Indianapolis beginning next week and then the real fun starts when the so-called "legal tampering" period opens on March 12 and the new league year begins on March 14 at 4 p.m.

The Browns are facing, perhaps, the biggest offseason the franchise have ever faced. They have cap space, draft picks and are as equipped as ever to completely change their fortunes.

That’s why I’ve decided to map out two hypothetical offseasons that I would consider a success. The second road map will post on Monday morning. In some cases, the specifics don’t matter as much. For example, there are number of quarterbacks I’d be fine with at No. 1 in this scenario.

And, of course, a lot of this is easier said than done. The Browns aren’t exactly a prime free agent destination and 31 other teams get to participate in the draft, too. This comes with the full acknowledgement that it is, in essence, fantasy football.

The goal here, however, is to lay out an idea of areas in which the Browns need to invest and to offer a couple ideas of what a successful offseason might look like.

So here is Scenario No. 1.

by Dan Labbe, cleveland.com

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Frank Victores, Associated Press

Sign AJ McCarron or one of the Minnesota quarterbacks

McCarron's history with Hue Jackson is well-documented and Jackson would love to get his hands on his former backup quarterback from his Cincinnati days. A contract similar to what the Bears gave Mike Glennon -- one that would allow the Browns the opportunity to easily and cheaply move on after a season -- would seem doable. McCarron isn't the next Jimmy Garoppolo, but he can step in and run your offense.

Case Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford are all bound for free agency. Bradford is a risk, but he would likely end up with a similar type of contract as McCarron. MMQB's Peter King predicted Bradford to the Browns, so laugh that option off at your own risk. He has been right about the Browns in the past. When Bradford has been healthy he has been effective, but it is the health that should give any team pause. If the Browns sign Bradford, they could find themselves starting their rookie quarterback much earlier than hoped or could be right back to starting DeShone Kizer.

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Rick Scuteri, Associated Press

Sign LaMarcus Joyner

The Rams could opt to use their franchise tag on Joyner, but if they don't, Joyner could be the veteran free safety the Browns covet.

At 27, he has a history with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and has played in Williams' system. Signing him would allow Jabrill Peppers to move to strong safety, a move that would be welcomed by all parties involved. Peppers struggled with the responsibilities of the position at times last season and always looked more comfortable playing closer to the line, which is how the Browns want to use him.

The Browns should also look at cornerback Trumaine Johnson now that the Rams are set to acquire Marcus Peters from Kansas City.

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John Kuntz, cleveland.com

Find a veteran wide receiver

It's not a particularly rich group of free agent wide receivers, but there are some options for the Browns. They could take a flyer on bringing back Terrelle Pryor after a not-so-great year in Washington. Pryor, though, did manage 1,007 receiving yards two seasons ago with Robert Griffin III and Cody Kessler throwing most of his targets. It’s hard to imagine receivers will be falling over themselves to come here and Pryor’s relationship with Jackson could help turn this into an inexpensive risk.

The place the Browns should monitor is down south in Jacksonville. Marqise Lee has caught 119 passes the last two seasons combined for 1,553 yards. He’s coming off of a season in which he caught 56 passes for 702 yards.

Another Jaguars receiver, Allen Robinson, is bound for free agency. He’s coming off of a torn ACL, but the Jaguars would be foolish to let him walk.

Assuming that, it makes Allen Hurns an interesting player to watch. The Jaguars could cut him if they keep Robinson and rely more heavily on the emerging Dede Westbrook. Despite having not come close to matching his 1,000-yard season in 2015 the last two years, Football Outsiders actually ranks Hurns ninth in DVOA among receivers and they credit him with 586 effective yards, a stat that shows he might have played better than his 39 catches for 484 yards would indicate.

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Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

Extend Duke Johnson's contract

One of the positive results of the Browns' teardown is the lack of significant upcoming free agents. Outside of Joe Thomas, Johnson stands as the biggest free agent for the team in 2019 and, like Christian Kirksey and Joel Bitonio last year, represents the type of young player the Browns should try to lock up before he hits the market.

Johnson showed a flare for playmaking last season and Jackson loves his versatility as both a runner and receiver. Rewarding him financially would be a winning move by John Dorsey and the front office.

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Draft Sam Darnold

With a veteran quarterback in place, the Browns could draft Darnold and let Todd Haley begin molding him into the next Ben Roethlisberger. Darnold, like the other quarterbacks in this class, carries his share of question marks, but you’re not just making this pick based on what a player can do right away. You’re drafting a player's ceiling, and Darnold, if developed properly -- and that's a big if -- could become a longtime starter in this league.

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Draft Minkah Fitzpatrick

Even if the Browns are able to sign Joyner, drafting Fitzpatrick makes sense. He can play all over the place. Yes, he can be a safety. He can also play corner, which the Browns need. Williams played three linebackers a lot last season and it wasn't ideal. Fitzpatrick, along with Peppers playing strong safety, could allow that to change.

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Draft Ronald Jones -- or one of the other second-tier running backs

It would be mildly surprising if Isaiah Crowell is back next season, so it’s time to find a back to pair with Johnson. Saquon Barkley will be tempting if he falls to No. 4, but this is a deep running back class and there will be value later. Remember, the two best backs from last year’s draft were Alvin Kamara and Kareem Hunt, both third-round picks.

Derrius Guice is the best of the group behind Barkley, but he might require a trade-up -- which wouldn’t be a bad thing. Jones, Sony Michel and Kerryon Johnson could be real options in the second round.

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Add a young wide receiver in the late second or early third round

The Browns need to continue adding to their secondary, but I'd also like to see them snag a young wide receiver with that last pick in the second round or the first pick in the third round. The thing is, they have the ammunition to address both receiver and cornerback.