The Cleveland Browns won’t be naming a starting quarterback anytime soon, which is more or less a sign that they have plans outside of those in tow.
No matter what the Cleveland Browns did in the 2017 NFL Draft, questions would remain about the quarterback position. After trading for Brock Osweiler to garner another draft pick to build with, that left them with the man known by some as The Heist and second-year signal-caller Cody Kessler on the roster. They then added DeShone Kizer out of Notre Dame in the draft.
Ostensibly, many saw the value of where they drafted Kizer — late in the second round — as quite good. However, there’s a reason that the former Fighting Irish quarterback dropped that far. He’s not ready to play in the NFL right now. There are serious accuracy and consistency issues in his game, despite some promise being there in regard to physical tools.
Given that Kizer will need time to develop, many assumed that the battle for starting quarterback would come down to Osweiler and Kessler. However, it appears that head coach Hue Jackson is looking at Kessler and Kizer. Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, those two have been taking first-team reps in offseason workouts.
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However, Cabot also noted that Jackson has not yet decided on a starter. What’s more, it’s unlikely that decision will come anytime soon. When asked about when Jackson would name the QB1 for the Browns, she reported this:
"Ideally, he’d like to name his man before the first preseason game against the Saints on Aug. 10 at FirstEnergy Stadium, but he might need to see some live action first. Specifically, he might want to see how rookie DeShone Kizer fares when the rush is live and he’s getting hit. Jackson will need to strike a balance between letting the competition play out and giving his starter enough first-team reps before the season."
While some may say that Kizer’s inclusion in the battle for the starting job is a positive, what this really points to is indecision. We saw what Kessler was last season and, while he showed some upside, his ceiling looks to be unspectacular. So if Jackson needs to see Kizer in game action before making a decision, that’s not a glowing endorsement of the rookie.
One of the reasons that some put down the Kizer pick is the quarterback-loaded 2018 NFL Draft looming. Guys like Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, Luke Falk and many more all loom large for many teams. And as the Browns have two first-round picks in 2018, that would make them a prime candidate to take one of those guys.
And really, that seems to be what the current quarterback competition is pointing to. When you’re deciding between two options that we have to assume, given what we’ve seen of Kessler, aren’t particularly inspiring, you don’t have an answer at the most important position on the field.
Next: Early 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Darnold to Browns
So the debate could wage on until early in the preseason as to who will start in Cleveland in 2017. However, the writing could well be on the wall that the real future of the Browns at quarterback will be playing in college this year.