“Planning for Arch Manning”: NFL analyst envisions Browns tanking for Texas star despite drafting Shedeur Sanders with doomsday start in 2025 season
On Tuesday, ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak released an article discussing Arch Manning and the current Cleveland Browns QB situation. Despite Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Deshaun Watson, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders being signed to the club at the moment, Solak predicted that the Browns would select another QB at the top of the 2026 NFL draft after a terrible start to the 2025 season.
He projected that the Browns would tank to select Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning after starting the 2025 NFL season with a record of 0-5.
"The first, collective swell of a fan base wanting to tank for the Arch Manning pick will come Oct. 5, when the Browns start 0-5. (Their early-season schedule is brutal.) Manning will have just beaten the Florida Gators on Oct. 4 in a dazzling four-touchdown performance. The rallying cry will be 'The March to Arch,' or possibly 'Planning for Manning.' Solak said in his article.
Should this be the case, the Browns will have opened the 2025 season with losses against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Baltimore Ravens, the Green Bay Packers, the Detroit Lions, and the Minnesota Vikings.
While this is not to say that the Cleveland franchise will unquestionably lose the first five games of the 2025 season, all of the teams listed above are expected to be playoff teams next season.
As a result, it is as difficult a schedule as you can get for whichever QB wins the starting job this offseason.
Will Arch Manning be drafted by the Cleveland Browns?
Whether or not Arch Manning is drafted by the Browns in 2026 largely appears to come down to how the Cleveland QBs perform in 2025. If Sanders or Gabriel take over the offense and perform well, it is hard to imagine that the Browns would use even more prime draft capital on the QB position.
However, if all of them struggle, the 2026 NFL draft appears to be a strong one for the QB position, with Manning being one of the best available in the class.
According to Bet365, Manning is the current favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft at +200. Penn State Nittany Lions QB Drew Allar and LSU Tigers QB Garrett Nussmeier are right behind Manning with odds of +400 and +450, respectively.
