Cleveland Browns: Ranking every starting QB since 1999
Ty Detmer, 1999
When the Browns returned in 1999 and drafted Tim Couch first overall, they wanted a mentor to groom the young quarterback into a player who they thought would have a very long and successful career in Cleveland. This mentor, acquired in a trade from the San Francisco 49ers, came in the form of Ty Detmer.
Detmer started the first game of the 1999 season, before Couch took over. With Detmer on the sidelines, Couch learned from the veteran, making strides in his first NFL season. Unfortunately however, Cleveland had one of the most historically bad offensive lines during their first season back, a 2-14 campaign.
Couch was challenged physically, and remarkably came just shy of completing an entire season. His sprained foot in Week 15caused him to miss the final game of the year, which Detmer started. In that game, Detmer injured his right Achilles and ending up missing the entire 2000 season, never playing for Cleveland again.
The Browns were 0-2 in Detmer’s only starts, but unlike some other signal callers on this list, Detmer wasn’t horrific. He completed 47 of 91 pass attempts, throwing four touchdown passes and two interceptions. His expertise assisted Couch in his progression, but beyond a single season with the team, Detmer was ineffective at best. If the quarterback will be remembered for any of his nine-year career, it wouldn’t be the two seasons he spent in Cleveland.
Next: No. 16: Doug Pederson