Jon Gruden: Mitchell Trubisky could handle pressure of playing for the Browns

The Browns remain in search of a franchise quarterback

The Browns need a franchise quarterback. Those six words have been true pretty much since the team returned to Cleveland in 1999. Yes, they’ve drafted what they thought were franchise quarterbacks -- Tim Couch, Brady Quinn, Brandon Weeden and Johnny Manziel -- but for various reasons, none came close to fulfilling those hopes.

It’s why the Browns signed Robert Griffin III last offseason (he was released last week), and it’s why they’d love to swing a deal for Jimmy Garoppolo, the Patriots backup behind Tom Brady who has thrown a grand total of 94 NFL passes. But with New England reportedly uninterested in moving Garoppolo -- save for this insane trade -- Cleveland will have to look to other means for finding a passer.

Brock Osweiler, while technically a passer, isn’t a solution, either in the short or long term. And neither is Geno Smith. But the Browns have the No. 1 and No. 12 picks in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft and it stands to reason that they could certainly address the position there. In our latest mock draft (which came out before free agency began), we have the Browns taking pass rusher Myles Garrett first overall and then bolstering the defensive line with Jonathan Allen 11 picks later.

But should Cleveland take a quarterback, North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky would be an option. The Ohio native is the top quarterback, according to CBSSports.com’s Big Board. And “Monday Night Football” color commentator and former NFL coach Jon Gruden thinks Trubisky could handle the pressure of playing for the hometown team.

“That would be fun to watch,’’ Gruden told Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. “He’s from Mentor, Ohio, Mr. Football (in Ohio) that would be quite a story. I showed him a lot of tape today of (Ohio native) Ben Roethlisberger.

“I showed him a little tape of Joe Flacco. World Champion quarterbacks in the AFC North, and the one thing the Cleveland Browns have not been able to solve is the quarterback and I think he could handle it. I also know that it would be a lot of pressure. They have to give him better support than they have right now, I know that.’’

At 6-2, Trubisky is short by prototypical NFL QB standards, and he has just one year as a starter in college, which is a concern for some evaluators. That includes Gruden, who was an offensive coordinator before he became a head coach.

“I’m no different than a lot of coaches that say ‘I want a three-year starter,” he said. “I want a minimum of 24 victories. I want two bowl wins.’ (But) I want a good quarterback. That’s what I want. I got kicked out of the league because I had a hard time sustaining at the quarterback position. Trubisky is one of the top quarterback prospects in this draft, period. I wish I had more to study but that’s the way it is.’’

Gruden added: “There’s a lot to like. He’s a quick study, he learns fast, it’s really important to him, he loves football and he’s mature. He is a finisher at North Carolina. He never quit, he was a backup, he waited three years for his opportunity, and trust me, he’s going to be a real steal for somebody.’’

Whether that’s the Browns or another quarterback-needy team remains to be seen.