Kevin Hogan becomes latest name on Browns quarterback jersey

Being a Cleveland Browns starting quarterback is never really a long-term proposition, and Kevin Hogan can now add his name to a lengthy list.

The Cleveland Browns are winless so far this season, at 0-5, and rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer leads the league in interceptions with nine. Kevin Hogan has stepped into three games so far, including playing the entire second half in Week 5 against the New York Jets. That’s typically a sign of a looming quarterback change, and Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer has reported Hogan will make his first NFL start Sunday against the Houston Texans.

Hogan will become the Browns 28th different starting quarterback since they re-entered the NFL as an expansion team in 1999. He looked pretty good last week, though, completing 16 of 19 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns along with 30 rushing yards.

Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas joined the Browns as the third overall pick in 2007, and he has blocked for an inordinate number of starting quarterbacks.

Hogan usurped Cody Kessler on the depth chart prior to Week 1, so head coach Hue Jackson clearly viewed him as the best fallback option if Kizer struggled or got injured. The second-year man out of Stanford got into four games as a rookie for the Browns last year, highlighted by a 100-yard rushing effort against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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The Browns have notably passed on drafting a few quarterbacks in recent years who look pretty good now. One of the most recent examples, rookie Deshaun Watson, will be starting for the opposing team in Houston on Sunday. So what might have been will be on full display for the Browns, as Kizer watches while wearing a baseball cap and holding a clipboard. Assuming Hogan makes it through the game unscathed, of course, then it’s worth wondering if it will be Kizer or Kessler that replaces him.