Kevin Hogan ascending Browns quarterback chart

Cleveland Browns quarterback Kevin Hogan has gone from the forgotten man on the roster to the No. 2 quarterback spot after a solid preseason.

In March, you would have been hard pressed to find a Browns fan that knew that quarterback Kevin Hogan was on the roster.

Originally a fifth-round selection by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016, Hogan ultimately opened last season on the Browns practice squad. He would go on to appear in four games for the Browns, completing 53.8 percent of his passes for a pedestrian 104 yards and two interceptions. Hogan was actually more productive as a runner than a passer, as he rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown.

Once the season ended Hogan appeared destined to fade away like so many Browns quarterbacks before him. That looked increasingly likely as the Browns first traded for quarterback Brock Osweiler in March then selected quarterback DeShone Kizer in the 2017 NFL Draft.

But a funny thing happened once training camp started.

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Osweiler looked more like the quarterback everyone saw with the Houston Texans in 2016 and second-year quarterback Cody Kessler looked like the rookie Cody Kessler.

Meanwhile, Hogan hung around, did what was asked of him and, when called upon, actually looked good when he player. It may have only been preseason, but Hogan did complete 65.6 percent of his passes, while throwing for 269 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.

On Friday, head coach Hue Jackson named Hogan, the man that everyone forgot about, the backup quarterback for Sunday’s season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Hogan did what Kessler was unable to do – take advantage of being familiar with Jackson’s offense in his second year with the team, Hogan told clevelandbrowns.com:

"“Last year, I came over and I was still kind of learning the offense week by week here and then this spring and summer just being much more detailed and listening to what coach wants from each install and the way that the plays are supposed to be run was huge for me. Going through the spring and then going through it again in the summer and camp, I felt a lot more comfortable and was able to play faster and more confidently and make some plays.”"

In most NFL cities the backup quarterback does not receive a second thought. This is Cleveland, after all, where starting quarterbacks go to die.

Brian Hoyer in 2014 was the last Browns quarterback to open the regular season as the starter and make it to Week 2 healthy enough to remain the starter. In 2013, starter Brandon Weeden only made it through the first two weeks before getting himself hurt.

Browns fans know the drill – things happen when you are Cleveland’s starting quarterback as the club has not had a quarterback start 16 games in a single season since Tim Couch in 2001.

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There is no reason to believe that the same fate awaits Kizer as these are no longer the “same old Browns.” (Just ignore that Myles Garrett signature walking boot over there in the corner of the locker room.)

Even if he never sees the field this fall, it has been quite the ascension for Hogan, the forgotten man of the Browns who is now just one play away from being the starting quarterback.