Cleveland Browns Giving Jason Campbell “Legitimate Chance” To Win Starting Job
By Josh Hill
It’s no secret that the Cleveland Browns need to figure out what they’re going to at quarterback, and when they signed Jason Campbell it didn’t appear as though that would be an answer. But according to Mary Kay-Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, citing league sources, the Browns are planning on giving Campbell a chance to win the starting job in Cleveland and it’s an open competition that might be worth watching.
"Backup quarterback Jason Campbell will be given a legitimate shot to beat out Brandon Weeden for the starting job, and the competition between the two is more than just lip service, league sources said."
Campbell getting a real shot at the starting job is truly significant. It can either mean that the Browns have given up already on trying to hand pick a franchise quarterback and are willing to let Campbell or Weeden be the temporary leader. Or it could mean that Campbell finally has a chance to prove he can be the starting quarterback we thought he’d be first with the Redskins and then with the Raiders.
After being drafted by Washington out of Auburn, Campbell struggled to find his footing as a starting quarterback, despite the fact that many believed he possessed the tools to be a solid leader. But after the Redskins gave up on him, he bounced over to Oakland where it looked like he’d finally have success. A broken collarbone derailed those plans and a trade for Carson Palmer killed whatever possibility there was of Campbell becoming hat solid starter.
The same situation occurred in Chicago where Campbell performed mildly in place of an injured Jay Cutler which landed him in Cleveland — the second worst place in the NFL to watch your career die next to Oakland. But Campbell survived the fire in Oakland and now may actually make something out of a job in Cleveland no one in the NFL is envious of.
Time will tell if he’s the right guy, but all the shine has long been stripped off of Campbell and if he’s going to succeed it has to be now and it has to be with the Browns.