Rod Chudzinski Inherits Nearly Ideal Nucleus with Cleveland Browns

New Cleveland Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski took over a squad this offseason boasting the amount of young talent and cap space one could only dream about. Throw in a top-10 pick to boot, and a head-coaching job like this doesn’t grow on trees.

The Browns 5-11 record in 2012 is also somewhat deceiving given the fact that they had a score differential of -4.1 points per game all the while starting rookies in No. 1 running back Trent Richardson, No. 1 wide receiver Josh Gordon and No. 1 quarterback Brandon Weeden. However, the latter spot is what makes the job somewhat less than ideal at the moment, as Pro Football Focus graded Weeden as the worst stating quarterback of the 2012 season.

On the one hand, Weeden was just a rookie thrown into the fire before starting 16 games. On the other hand, he’s 29 and played behind arguably the best offensive line in the league. Fellow rookies Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson and Ryan Tannehill all graded out far superior. Still making the rookie excuse? Throw Jake Locker on that list. Yes, Jake Locker outperformed Brandon Weeden.

Now it seems the Browns are at least interested in finding his replacement, recently organizing a private workout with draft-bound quarterback Geno Smith. Considering that the New York Giants won a Super Bowl two years ago that was largely keyed by a great pass rush and great quarterback play, it seemed sensible for Cleveland to attack these two weak spots in earnest.

The Browns have addressed the pass rush in snagging prized free agents Paul Kruger and Desmond Bryant. Quarterback could very well come next in the NFL Draft..

Thomas Emerick is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasEmerick, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google