Earlier this week, a Browns official told ESPN Cleveland's Tony Grossi that the club did not envision Carson Wentz as a future top-20 quarterback, which is why they opted out of the No. 2 pick in this year's draft.
On Thursday, Browns rookie defensive end Carl Nassib told reporters that he'd watched all of Wentz's snaps from the preseason and noted that Wentz's release wasn't quite fast enough.
"He can run, he has good mobility, and he's got a good arm," said Nassib, via Cleveland.com. "His release is a little slow, so we plan to take advantage of that.
"I think they're going to keep things basic for him, but I'm just going to go out there and play as fast as I can and pressure him as much as I can, make him uncomfortable."
While we're not scolding anyone for being honest -- the comments from Browns chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta and Nassib are refreshing and honest evaluations, which we rarely see anymore -- the pair had better hope they are right. Outside of Panthers quarterback Cam Newton on Thursday, we can't imagine a more motivated quarterback heading into Sunday's season opener.
We don't yet know what makes Wentz tick psychologically, but we have to imagine a player calling your arm speed slow and an executive saying you won't amount to much has to get the fire burning a little bit.
"He's a dual threat, but I heard he's a little banged up right now, so I doubt he'll be running the ball very much," Nassib added.
Should the Browns go out and wreck Wentz's debut like they plan, it would represent a continued momentum working in their favor. The entire preseason has been filled with positive vibes for a Browns team that finally seems to have their organization and future under control even if that doesn't translate to wins right away.
Getting shredded by the quarterback they could have taken would represent a few backward steps if it were to happen.
