Cleveland Browns: Cody Kessler earned right to open as the starter
Cleveland Browns quarterback Cody Kessler will open offseason practices as the starter, and he deserves to after his play last year.
While the newest Cleveland Browns were practicing over the weekend, Hue Jackson made an announcement regarding the quarterback position.
As for #Browns starting QB job, Hue Jackson says contenders have to "take it" from @CodyKessler6. Says Cody's earned right to take 1st snaps
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) May 14, 2017
That’s right, Cody Kessler is going to open offseason practices as the top quarterback, but that should not come as a surprise to Browns fans.
Kessler earned this right based on his play last year and the fact he is the only quarterback on the roster with any sense of rapport with the rest of the offense. He was also aided by the fact the Browns didn’t invest in a quarterback in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
We can likely say that Kevin Hogan isn’t in the mix to start, leaving Brock Osweiler and DeShone Kizer as Kessler’s main competition.
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Osweiler’s situation is interesting as fans have been waiting for him to be cut since the day he was acquired, so it is hard to imagine him getting a lot of first-team reps throughout the summer if the front office is still considering letting him go.
With the uncertainty surrounding Osweiler, it leaves Kizer as the only true competition for Kessler, as he is the only other quarterback who factors into the team’s plans beyond 2017. But with Kizer being a rookie, it would be wise for Jackson to let him learn before throwing him out on the field right away.
Fans may point at Kessler to say that is exactly what happened to him a year ago, but his Week 3 start came as a result of injuries to those in front of him. So unless Kizer shows up to camp and looks like Tom Brady, it would be hard to imagine seeing him start a game in 2017, at least early in the season.
There is still plenty of time to go before the season begins in September, but Kessler should be able to hold down the starting job until then. If Osweiler wasn’t just a bargaining chip and Kizer wasn’t a rookie, things may be different.
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But for now the second-year man out of USC figures to be the man fans can look forward to cheering for in 2017.