The Browns need a reliable starting quarterback, a reality that isn't a revelation, but which has been a recurring issue pretty much since the team returned to Cleveland in 1999. The 2017 cast of characters includes Cody Kessler, who started eight games as a rookie last season (fine print: Kessler went 0-8), Texans castoff Brock Osweiler and the most promising prospect of the bunch, 2017 second-round pick Deshone Kizer.
And on the first day of training camp, second-year coach Hue Jackson admitted that he really liked what he saw from Kizer, the former Notre Dame standout.
"Yes, he is [coming along faster than expected],'' Jackson said Thursday, via Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot. "He's understanding the offense. I could take you back to his days at OTAs -- he struggled calling the plays. The words were a lot simpler. The language was a different. I did not see as much of that today. That is improvement. Obviously, he made some good throws and did not turn the ball over. Those things are good.
"Again, it's just one day. We are not going to make decisions on guys in one day. We have a lot of work to do."
It's instructive to not overreact to one practice but it's also no secret that Jackson is quite fond of Kizer. A year ago, Jackson was trying to talk himself into Robert Griffin III as the Browns' quarterback. Now Jackson has the guy he drafted, and can mold into the passer that fits the offense he wants to run. During OTAs in May, Kizer was glued to Jackson's hip to expedite the process.
"It allows me to start my learning curve a little faster when you have the guy who's calling the plays, the guy who's created this offense ... teaching you every day the fundamentals,'' Kizer said at the time. "It pushes you a little quicker than if it was someone else."
Jackson added: "I want to make sure I have my hand on him as much as I can."
Still, shortly after Kizer was drafted, Jackson made it clear that Kessler will get the first crack at the starting job. And in the meantime, Kizer continues to work on this game.
"The best thing for me right now is to not compare myself to those guys," Kizer said in early May. "I'm at a completely different level than they are. This is all brand new to me, so to compare myself to someone that's that far ahead of me would be probably tragic on my end because my self-esteem would go down. But at the same time, I'm holding myself to the same standards they are."
Jackson may be in no rush to name a starter, but there really is no downside to going with Kizer. The Browns can see what they have in him, and if it becomes clear at some point during the 2017 season that he may not be the long-term solution, the organization can turns its efforts to finding its next franchise quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft, which could be one of the best classes to come along in a decade.
