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Joe Thomas, the best player on the Browns, has been been stuck in Cleveland since 2007, which means he's pretty much seen it all -- from Derek Anderson helming a 10-win team to the Johnny Manziel debacle to the new Moneyball approach that's taken over the front office. So when he weighs in on something important like the Browns' quarterback competition, he probably has an idea of what he's talking about.

On Wednesday, Thomas revealed that he believes Brock Osweiler will be the team's starting quarterback.

"I think they're grooming Brock to be the starter Week 1," Thomas said, per Cleveland.com. "I don't expect DeShone Kizer to be the starter Week 1.''

And so, that all but ends Kizer's dream of winning the starting job -- unless, of course, Thomas is completely misreading the situation. But again, given Thomas' standing on the team, that seems unlikely. 

Of course, this doesn't mean Kizer won't eventually start at some point this season. Anyone expecting Osweiler to hang onto the job for the majority of the season obviously didn't watch him in Houston last season, when he completed 59 percent of his passes, threw more interceptions (16) than touchdowns (15), and posted a 72.2 passer rating. At best, he's a bridge quarterback.

And on the other side of that bridge is Kizer. In his preseason debut, Kizer completed 11 of 18 for 184 yards and a touchdown. He was impressive, looking like an NFL-ready quarterback:

It's probably only a matter of time until Kizer -- a second-round pick -- becomes the Browns' starter. But it's also somewhat understandable why the Browns don't want to rush Kizer. They're not going to compete for a playoff spot in 2017. They're still at least a year away. And they're probably worried about rushing Kizer onto the field before he's ready.

"Just because DeShone might be good in a few years doesn't mean he's ready now," Thomas said. "It would be asking a lot."

As for Osweiler, he's going to get a chance to revive his career -- a career that looked somewhat promising after the 2015 season and practically dead after the 2016 season. Back in March when the Texans shipped Osweiler and a second-round pick to the Browns in a clear salary dump, it was reported that the Browns might immediately trade or cut Osweiler. Instead, they'll likely give him one final chance to prove that he's a starting-caliber NFL quarterback -- something he's yet to do in his career.