The Cleveland Browns have four quarterbacks on their roster. Of those four, they have combined for 29 career NFL starts with Brock Osweiler accounting for 21 of them.
It’s pretty much Cleveland’s way of resetting the quarterback position after nearly two decades of futility at that position. Whether this works is anyone’s guess, but it’s worth trying following a 1-15 season.
Among the young guns vying for a starting job in Cleveland, former Notre Dame standout DeShone Kizer was selected in the second round of last week’s draft.
Kizer is seen as a project with a tremendous amount of raw upside under center. Some had him pegged as a potential first-round pick before the Irish alumn struggled through the pre-draft process. And while Cleveland envisions him competing for a starting job this summer, the team has made it clear that it will not rush him along.
“He’s a young man and he’s going to have a long time that he’s with us and in this league and if things go the way I’m sure he’s planning on it and the way we hope it goes, we don’t have to rush it,” general manager Sashi Brown said, via CBS Cleveland.
There’s some around the football world who believe Cleveland should just throw Kizer to the fire immediately. With the Browns boasting five picks in the first two rounds of next year’s draft, why not see what they have in the rookie?
The issue here is that Kizer’s progression could very well be stunted if he’s thrown out there before he’s ready. Confidence issues, mechanical problems and other aspects of his game could be impacted. Add in Cleveland’s lack of any real talent at the skill positions, and that’s magnified even further.
The Browns aren’t contending for a playoff spot this upcoming season. Heck, they would be lucky to win five games. It makes very little sense to throw Kizer out there initially. Why not let Osweiler take one for the team? After all, is Cleveland really going to pay him $16 million to be a clipboard holder?