Football Outsiders: Browns Should Sign Kirk Cousins

Bold moves can make or break an NFL franchise.

Football Outsiders, via ESPN, proposed bold moves for every NFL team, including the Browns.

The roster move suggested for the Browns? Signing Kirk Cousins.

The 27-year-old quarterback enjoyed a breakout season in 2015, throwing for 4,166 yards and 29 touchdowns in his fourth season. Cousins led the Redskins to the playoffs last season, making fans forget about Robert Griffin III.

Cousins is set to be an unrestricted free agent in March. The Redskins could choose to extend Cousins or use the franchise tag, but Cousins holds all the cards, as several NFL pundits have said.

Here is the argument posed by Football Outsiders:

"If Hue Jackson and the Browns are not fully sold on Carson Wentz (North Dakota State) or Jared Goff (California), the top two quarterbacks in this year's draft, then they should not force the No. 2 pick. Instead, they should try signing someone with proven NFL success, such as Cousins -- a free agent. Cousins has improved and had 23 touchdowns to three interceptions in his last 10 games of last season. The contract can be modeled as a "pay as you go" structure similar to what Colin Kaepernick has in San Francisco.

Jackson was in Cincinnati with [Andy] Dalton. Cousins has a similar skill set in that he has solid mobility and is more accurate than Dalton. The Browns found some hidden gems in Gary Barnidge and Travis Benjamin last year, and Josh Gordon could be back along with a solid offensive line. The pieces are there minus the quarterback, which has been the main problem for Cleveland 2.0. After striking out in the draft so often, maybe settling for proven play with some upside is the way to go."

The argument is certainly logical. Jackson has acquired a reputation as a quarterback whisperer after developing Dalton and yielding solid performances from AJ McCarron in the playoffs last season.

Acquiring Cousins would free up the Browns to fill another need with the No. 2 pick. Perhaps the Browns could select Joey Bosa or another pass rusher for new defensive coordinator Ray Horton.

What do you think, Browns fans? Vote in our poll and comment below.