Carson Wentz vs. Cincinnati 2016

Carson Wentz began the season 3-0, but the rookie quarterback and the Philadelphia Eagles are 2-7 since that hot start.

(Gary Landers, Associated Press)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns didn't just turn the chance to take Carson Wentz in the 2016 draft into receiver Corey Coleman, offensive lineman Shon Coleman, quarterback Cody Kessler, receiver Ricardo Louis, safety Derrick Kindred, a first-round pick in 2017 that could be in the top 10, a second-round pick in 2017 and a second-round pick in 2018.

No, the Browns got something else.

They got flexibility in their quarterback chase.

Now, one could say that taking Wentz with the No. 2 pick last year would have eliminated that chase, and it would have. Wentz would have started every game this season, the Browns would be better than 0-12 if he was healthy and this future quarterback tracker, aimed at identifying the franchise quarterback options for the Browns, wouldn't exist.

Less than a year into this new front office and coaching staff, two things stand out as evidence.

The record and that trade with Philadelphia.

The record could wind up historically bad. If that's your focus, that's your right, because Sundays matter. It also wasn't the focus for the front office this season, but 0-16 would still hurt.

As for the trade -- are we sure the Browns didn't win it?

Here's a headline from nj.com this week about the state of Carson Wentz in Philadelphia, where he went 3-0 with five touchdowns and no interceptions in his first three games, and now is 2-7 with seven touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his last nine games.

Here's another:

And another:

Take solace, Cleveland, you aren't the only place with football problems.

Eliot Shorr-Parks, the Eagles writer for nj.com, was kind enough to answer some of my questions about Wentz this week beyond what he and his colleagues were writing.

"After starting out red hot, Wentz has not shown many signs of improvement over the past few weeks, and the same issues that have plagued him since training camp -- high throws, risk passes -- are still there," Shorr-Parks wrote in an e-mail. "It feels more like he has hit a plateau, and the fact he hasn't shown significant signs of improvement could be considered alarming. His long term prognosis, however, is still very high."

Wentz may prove to be much more than capable, and no one can make a career-long evaluation 12 games into a rookie season. At some point, and some point soon, the Browns must find a quarterback answer. They won't truly turn the franchise around until they do so.

Despite this rough patch, Shorr-Parks believes Wentz is a franchise quarterback and already among the top 20 QBs in the NFL.

But if Wentz isn't a "once every five years" kind of talent, if he's not exceptional, if he's not at least a winning franchise quarterback for the next five years, minimum, then the Browns won. Even if the Eagles would still make the trade.

"The Eagles would definitely do the deal again," wrote Shorr-Parks, noting the Eagles then flipped veteran QB Sam Bradford to Minnesota for a first-rounder. "Time will tell who won the deal, but for now, it is hard to say the Browns won the deal, considering they still have major issues at quarterback."

They do. But they can still get their guy, and have plenty left over. What I wrote in September is still true. They don't need that Wentz, they need some version of their own Wentz.

Now they have multiple ways to go after that.

I'm still on board for taking an elite talent high in the draft, handing that quarterback the franchise and letting him go.

Though we've heard time and again this quarterback draft class isn't that strong, that option will remain for the Browns, who are still in the lead for the No. 1 pick and could decide North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky, Clemson's Deshaun Watson, Notre Dame's DeShone Kizer or a surprise guest is worth that top spot.

If not, they could go defense at the top and focus that pick from the Eagles on a quarterback. Depending how the draft goes, it's possible when they pick around No. 10 in the first round, no quarterbacks will be off the board.

If not, they could aim their pick at the top of the second round, an idea that worked for the Raiders with Derek Carr in 2014 and for the Bengals with Andy Dalton in 2011. Quarterbacks like Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes could work in there.

If not, they could trade their second first-rounder or one of their two second-rounders for a veteran quarterback, a backup they might like, such as New England's Jimmy Garoppolo.

If not ... well, if they don't do any of those things, there might be a problem.

But those are all realistic options created by one trade. If the Browns had taken Wentz, so be it. But if the Browns had kept the No. 2 pick and drafted, for instance, Ezekiel Elliott, they'd have a very good running back, no extra picks and perhaps an overwhelming need to take a quarterback with their lone first-round pick, whether that quarterback was worth it or not.

Some may still wonder why the Browns didn't solve their quarterback problem with the No. 2 pick in the 2016 draft.

Remember, they may have.

Onto the quarterback tracker, which should have less movement over the final month of the NFL season now that we're into bowl season in college.

Mitch Trubisky, North Carolina, 30 percent: The Mentor native obviously is aware of the way his draft perception has risen since September. At CBSSports.com, Dane Brugler has the Browns taking Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett and Trubisky going fourth to Chicago. But fellow CBS draft analyst Rob Rang has Trubisky to the Browns.

North Carolina, at 8-4, will end its season in the Sun Bowl against Stanford on Dec. 30, with the kickoff in El Paso, Texas, at 2 p.m. eastern. Last week: 30 percent

Deshaun Watson, Clemson, 22 percent: Guess who's going to get a good look at Watson in Arizona for nearly a week? While covering the run-up to the Ohio State-Clemson College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl, the tracker's antenna will be up. On Dec. 31, watch with one eye on the Buckeyes, the other on this quarterback that could go from Clemson orange to Cleveland orange. Last week: 20 percent

Cody Kessler, Browns, 9 percent: Still around. If he's OK in his concussion recovery, I want to see him again before the end of the season. Last week: 10 percent

Patrick Mahomes, Browns, 9 percent: Still a guy I like, maybe at the top of the second round if the Browns wait. At SI.com, their draft rankings at quarterback have Mahomes fourth behind Watson, DeShone Kizer and Trubisky. Last week: 9 percent

Robert Griffin III, Browns, 8 percent: If he's playing, he's rising. And it sounds like he'll be playing against Cincinnati on Sunday. He's at least talking like a franchise quarterback.

"I'm here to be a Cleveland Brown. I'm here to help this team, not just these last four weeks but into the future," he said this week. Last week: 7 percent

DeShone Kizer, Notre Dame, 8 percent: He's Brugler's top quarterback prospect still, mocked to San Francisco at No. 2. While Watson has made it clear he'll be in the draft, Trubisky, Mahomes and Kizer all have decisions to make. The seasons for both Mahomes and Kizer are over, so news on that front could shake things up if someone stays in school. Last week: 8 percent

Jimmy Garoppolo, New England Patriots, 6 percent: Some think the Jets could use him, but Bill Belichick would never trade him there. Expect the idea of the Browns as the ideal trading partner to continue gaining steam. Last week: 5 percent.

AJ McCarron, Cincinnati Bengals, 5 percent: Less in love with this than a week ago. But he is coming to town Sunday. He and Garoppolo are the two most sensible trade options. And I'm coming around on that trade idea in general. Last week: 6 percent

Brad Kaaya, Miami, 1 percent

Davis Webb, Cal, 1 percent: Webb is one of four quarterbacks to so far accept Senior Bowl invites, joining Iowa's C.J. Beathard, Chad Kelly of Ole Miss and Seth Russell of Baylor. The Browns could wind up coaching in that game and getting an up-close look at a lot of prospects. Maybe they'll fall in love. Last week: 1 percent, 1 percent

Terrelle Pryor, Browns, 1 percent: You want him as a building block, that's for sure. Pryor was deemed worthy of that by more than 92 percent of cleveland.com voters. So what if he was voted there at receiver. Last week: 1 percent

Previous Browns Future QB reader voting

Week 1: Deshaun Watson 40%, DeShone Kizer 37%, J.T. Barrett 6%

Week 2: DeShone Kizer 35%, Deshaun Watson 25%, Cody Kessler 13%

Week 3: Cody Kessler 42%, Deshaun Watson 18%, DeShone Kizer 12%

Week 4: Mitch Trubisky 30%, DeShone Kizer 30%, Cody Kessler 23%

Week 5: Cody Kessler 28%, DeShone Kizer 14%, Patrick Mahomes 10%

Week 6: Cody Kessler 61%, Deshaun Watson 11%, Mitch Trubisky 10%

Week 7: Off for World Series

Week 8: Off for World Series

Week 9: Like a moron, forgot to include the poll

Week 10: Mitch Trubisky 33%, Patrick Mahomes 26%, Cody Kessler 11%

Week 11: Mitch Trubisky 58%, Jimmy Garoppolo 8%, Cody Kessler 8%

Week 12: Mitch Trubisky 42%, Deshaun Watson, 13%, Cody Kessler 11%

Previous Browns Future QB Trackers

Week 7: Off for World Series

Week 8: Off for World Series

Week 9: Can Cody Kessler be a top 20 QB?

Week 10: What about Patrick Mahomes?