With Derek Anderson being released and Brady Quinn being traded, speculation now surrounds the third of the three quarterbacks that held down the position last season in former New York Jet Brett Ratliff.

The Browns are almost guaranteed to be taking a quarterback at some point in the upcoming NFL Draft, a player that would be the assumed future at the position.

Alas, the roster spot will likely be at the expense of Ratliff – a guy that was once also thought to have a shot at being the starting quarterback for the Cleveland franchise.

Acquired in the trade that sent the fifth overall selection to the New York Jets last April, Ratliff was a target of then new head coach Eric Mangini as he attempted to round out the quarterback spot. Along with Kenyon Coleman, Abe Elam and Eric Barton, Ratliff was a guy that Mangini was very familiar with. When the trade was made, it was later reported that the deal had hinged on the inclusion of Ratliff.

SI.com’s Peter King labeled the young quarterback a “deal breaker” and “more than a throw in.” He lit up training camp and continually earned the praise of Mangini.

“The amount of development this guy made through his work ethic, his intelligence – all those things – was impressive,” said Mangini one year ago. “That type of substantial progress, I thought was really encouraging, so I like that a lot about him.”

The head coach was not exactly on his own island when it came to his favorable opinions on Ratliff. Before acquiring Mark Sanchez via the draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper thought that Ratliff could vie for the starting spot in the Big Apple.

“I’d say Brett Ratliff is a guy off the radar nationally that I know [the Jets] have high hopes for,” said Kiper. “He could be that diamond in the rough.”

But all of this may be for naught with the addition of team president Mike Holmgren who will undoubtedly be hitching a cart on to his guy. The trade for Seneca Wallace was a textbook acquisition to add a quarterback that knows hissystem. Jake Delhomme has been signed as a veteran presence that will not only be a vocal part of the Browns locker room, but one that will provide a learning experience for whomever is selected approximately one month from today. Ratliff, unfortunately, is not Holmgren’s guy – he’s Mangini’s.

Had Holmgren opted to trade for the future of the franchise, whether it be Kevin Kolb or someone of similar ilk, Ratliff may have had a chance to stay on the Browns as the third quarterback. The danger in this move is that the Chico, California native has not exactly earned a shot to prove his worth on the field.

On the flip side of the coin, Ratliff’s 2009 preseason numbers were not exactly stellar. While his training camp was strong, his three appearances on the field of play were not. Ratliff completed 43.2 percent of his pass attempts, tossing one touchdown and three interceptions. It also has to be assumed that Mike Holmgren has done his due diligence on Ratliff prior to deciding to make the moves for Wallace and Delhomme. Given the notion that Tom Heckert, Eric Mangini and Holmgren all have input on team-based decisions, it has to be assumed that Ratliff’s potential has at least entered into a discussion or two.

When Holmgren was brought on to be team president, he said that he felt that there were already pieces in place from which to build. Once a quarterback is drafted in April, it will become even more apparent that none of said “pieces” were players that stood under center just one year ago.