DeShone Kizer impressing at Browns camp
By John Buhler
The Cleveland Browns have four quarterbacks vying for the starting job. One guy that could win it is second-round pick DeShone Kizer. He’s been impressive.
Usually when an NFL team has four quarterbacks competing for a starting job it means that a team doesn’t have a franchise quarterback. That could very much be the case for Hue Jackson’s Cleveland Browns. Heading into 2017 OTAs, the Browns have four quarterbacks on their roster: Cody Kessler, Kevin Hogan, Brock Osweiler and rookie DeShone Kizer.
While Osweiler has the most starting experience of the quartet, he most certainly underwhelmed in his one year as the main signal caller for the Houston Texans. Kessler was the most competent of the Browns quarterbacks last year, but couldn’t stay healthy.
It might sound a little odd, but don’t be shocked if it is the rookie out of Notre Dame in Kizer that ends up winning the starting job. According to Browns beat reporter for Cleveland.com Mary Kay Cabot, “Kizer could be ‘on the fast track’ to winning the starting job.”
While Cleveland may not have the sure-thing in a franchise quarterback, they do have a solid offensive-minded coach in Hue Jackson. When he was the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, quarterback Andy Dalton played his best ball of his NFL career. Jackson seems to be immensely knowledgable of how to devise a modern NFL passing game.
Jackson would add about how Kizer’s looked so far, “There’s a lot thrown at him, but he’s doing a good job. He’s better than some guys I’ve been around…” Kizer had first-round talent in some evaluators’ eyes, but fell to Cleveland in round two as the fourth quarterback off the board.
Of all the quarterbacks Cleveland has run through since coming back to the league in 1999, Kizer has the frame and the arm strength necessary to win in the cold-weather AFC North. Though he didn’t complete 60 percent of his passes his redshirt sophomore year at Notre Dame, it’s not like Brian Kelly’s offense in South Bend is a particularly easy one to run.
It asks strong-armed guys like Kizer to make routinely tough throws. For example, Kelly forced Kizer to throw the football over 20 times in a hurricane versus the North Carolina State Wolfpack in Raleigh in October.
Next: Every NFL team's greatest moment of all-time
From a physical makeup standpoint, Kizer has the potential to eventually be the Browns starting quarterback. However, there is no reason for Jackson to thrust him into the fire Week 1. That being said, if Jackson’s job is on the line in October/November, why not give Kizer a whirl and see what happens?