Hue Jackson is digging Browns quarterback room right now

Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson is feeling pretty good about the current situation with the team’s quarterbacks. Is that enthusiasm justified?

A year ago, the Cleveland Browns were preparing for a season with, to put it mildly, a shaky quarterback room.

On the roster were the willing but brittle Josh McCown; the even-more-brittle and flawed Robert Griffin III; and Cody Kessler, a third-round selection in the 2016 NFL Draft.

While it wasn’t all their fault, is it any wonder the Browns would finish the season at 1-15?

Kessler is the only quarterback among the three who will have a return engagement with the Browns this fall as McCown is now with the New York Jets and Griffin is out of the league, likely for good.

Related: Brock Osweiler could be the Browns next bridge QB

Consequently, the current situation with Kessler being joined by Brock Osweiler, rookie DeShone Kizer and Kevin Hogan (let’s not forget Kevin Hogan) is far better, at least according to head coach Hue Jackson, who told the team’s website that he is digging what he has to work with this year.

"“What I’ve seen thus far from the guys that are here, they came back prepared and ready to play. I can honestly say the group is ahead of where I thought they’d be. Cody’s done a great job, Kevin Hogan has, too, and Brock has walked in the building and done an outstanding job."

"“I think all three of those guys are doing exactly what I thought they’d do and even more so, and now we’re going to have a chance to add DeShone into this as well. I’m excited about the room.”"

It is easy to be optimistic in May, of course; it is when the games actually start in the fall that reality generally sets in. But some of that optimism may be warranted.

Kessler has a loyal fan base that believes he can succeed if “given the chance.” That’s nice, but we’ve heard that before with Browns quarterbacks and the results have always been disappointing.

But Kessler does bring something to the table, according to Pro Football Focus:

"With an entire offseason to work on his mechanics, study film on his play and that of his 2017 opponents, and improve his arm strength, Kessler is poised to build on a solid rookie season. He ranked first among QBs in adjusted completion percentage under pressure (80.6), fifth in overall adjusted completion percentage, at 78.2, sixth in passer rating under pressure at 82.4, and eighth in PFF’s QB Rating at 93.41. Kessler is often overlooked by people outside the Browns organization, but his play earned him a legitimate shot at the starting gig this season."

Even though he struggled last season with the Houston Texans, Osweiler was solid in Denver in 2015 when he started seven games for the Broncos and played in a run-heavy offense and with a stout defense backing him up.

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The Broncos then offered him a deal that would pay him an average of around $13 million a year for three seasons, and since we’re repeatedly told that John Elway is a genius, then Osweiler must be good.

Finally, there is Kizer, who has the physical skills to be successful, but still needs work.

Add it all up and maybe Jackson is on to something here.

It does need to be pointed out, however, that Jackson is the same coach who said the “earth moved” during Griffin’s workout with the Browns a year ago, so his enthusiasm for the quarterbacks may need to be taken with a grain of salt.

But even taking into account Jackson’s excitement, it’s not hard to see that the quarterback position is better than it was at any time in 2016.

Next: DPD Podcast: QBs and Isaiah Crowell

Make of that what you will, Browns fans.