Cleveland Browns: Signing Kevin Hogan is a low-risk move
The Cleveland Browns signed former Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan to the practice squad Monday after he was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Cleveland Browns avoided a quarterback controversy in 2016 by signing Robert Griffin III to be the starter and subsequently passing on Carson Wentz in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Cody Kessler was selected in the third round, but it was clear he was not brought in to be the starter this year.
Stanford’s Kevin Hogan was a quarterback the Browns could have taken over Kessler. Instead, he fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round. He seemed to be set to be a backup there, but after the signing of Nick Foles earlier this summer, Hogan was ultimately waived by the team this past weekend.
Enter the Browns, who added Hogan to the practice squad while we were all enjoying Labor Day, which is known as the last Monday before the Browns take us on another emotional rollercoaster of a season.
Some may see the move as something to set up Hogan to immediately compete with Kessler for that third spot on the depth chart, but head coach Hue Jackson denied that idea in a recent interview with Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com:
"“It’s not an indictment on Cody by any stretch,” Jackson said. “It’s just that we have an open spot and there was a young man out there that we have a history with and wanted to give him an opportunity here.”"
Cabot also explains how the history Jackson is referring to is Hogan playing under Pep Hamilton when Hamilton was the offensive coordinator at Stanford in 2012.
Signing Hogan to the practice squad is a great move, as the Browns can see if he has what it takes to one day make the roster, while also having a skilled quarterback to go up against the starters in practice.
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Hogan can help himself and the team as a whole by being a scout-team quarterback, learning the ways of the NFL in a way those serving as backups cannot do with limited reps in practice.
This type of move is one that teams should do more often. Hogan was a successful college quarterback, and while he may not have impressed during training camp, he could blossom as a solid signal-caller when given more time and without focusing on the competition associated with training camp.
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If the Browns are not impressed with Hogan, he can be let go without any negative effects on the main roster. But if he proves himself to be a capable NFL quarterback, whether that be as a backup or a starter, the Browns can consider bringing him up to the main roster. With the possibility of Josh McCown being traded, Hogan on the 53-man roster at some point in 2016 is not out of the realm of possibility. Plus it’s the Browns, so literally anything could happen and it would not come as a surprise.