Why not Geno?

Geno Smith, quarterback and Cleveland Browns all in the same sentence.

Let that one ruminate in your mind for a few minutes. Then a few minutes longer.

Say it out loud.

Oxymoron or reality? Both?

Believe it or not, at least according to news reports, the former New York Jets quarterback, who flamed out in the National Football League after starring at West Virginia University, has been linked with your favorite football team.

The Browns, it seems, are interested in the free agent in what appears to be their never-ending search to continue the mediocrity that has plagued the position since the resurrection in 1999.

The sudden news, stemming from an NFL Network report, refers to the possible connection as “interest” on the Browns’ part.

The 26-year-old Smith recently visited the New York Giants and Los Angeles Chargers in an effort to remain somewhat relevant in the NFL community. Only problem there is Eli Manning and Philip Rivers are fixtures with their respective teams and the best Smith can do is back up either veteran.

He wants to be a starting quarterback again, though, and the Browns are looking for a starting quarterback since the release of Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown. So why not kick the tires on Smith?

The mixed metaphor aside, the possibility of such a football marriage is not outside the realm of possibility, the rumors surrounding a possible trade involving Jimmy Garoppolo and drafting of Mitch Trubisky notwithstanding.

There are so many different possibilities and scenarios surrounding the immediate future of the Cleveland quarterback situation, nothing would surprise with respect to who lines up under center in game one of the 2017 season.

Smith being that guy spurred the New York Post to write the following headline regarding that possibility: Geno Smith and Browns a match made in football purgatory.

Right now, the Cleveland quarterbacks roster includes Cody Kessler, Kevin Hogan and Brock Osweiler. Kessler isn’t going anywhere. Hogan, barring injuries, probably winds up on the practice squad. Where Osweiler winds up is anyone’s guess.

Smith, who suffered a torn ACL last season, was 3-10 with 13 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions in his last season as a starter (2014) with the Jets. It was far better than his rookie season when he tossed 12 scoring passes and was picked off 21 times.

If the Browns sign him and do not draft a top-rated college quarterback this season, that would almost assure the club will experience another season very much like the last one, a season that produced a singular victory.

That would all but insure the Browns a shot at one of the top quarterbacks in the 2018 lottery, which will boast a class far better and deeper than the one coming up in April.

If those in charge of the draft concentrate on strengthening the ancillary parts of the team – most notably the offensive and defensive lines and secondary – before honing in on the quarterback of the future, then perhaps winning football has a shot at finally returning to Cleveland.

Smith could be a temporary fill-in, much like Griffin was before him. Sort of act as a caretaker until the real thing comes along. Of course, that would require Browns fans to exercise patience for one more season, something they have become all too accustomed to for far too long.

But if the retooling of this team was done carefully, wisely and correctly, it would be well worth the wait.

Until then, why not Geno for a year? Can't be any worse than The Third.