Cleveland Browns: DeShone Kizer’s fate is likely sealed for 2018

Cleveland Browns quarterback DeShone Kizer has had an up and down year in 2017, and will likely be out as the starter in 2018.

DeShone Kizer has gotten a raw deal as a rookie quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.

He was rushed into the starting lineup late in the preseason and was never ready to be an NFL starter at the age of 21. So much for Hue Jackson being a quarterback whisperer.

Kizer was chosen as the starter because he was the most talented of a group that boasts zero NFL victories, but that doesn’t mean he should be leading a team.

Hindsight is always better but it is frustrating to not only see Kizer starting all season, but to see Jackson handle him so poorly. From benching him during games, replacing him entirely after saying Kizer was “the guy” to comments made to the media, Kizer’s confidence was shattered before it could even be built up.

Now the rookie wants to prove to John Dorsey that he is indeed “the guy” moving forward, but that is simply not the case.

Dorsey is going to address the quarterback position either through free agency or the NFL Draft and if he doesn’t, the team may as well just fold. And given Dorsey does go after a quarterback, Kizer will be the odd man out.

I don’t think the Browns need to cut Kizer, but he shouldn’t be competing for the starting job next season. There is no problem with doing what most teams do and keeping him on the roster due to his experience with the offense, but he should be nowhere near the top of the depth chart in 2018, unless Dorsey is simply lying.

And unless Kizer never goes online, he has to know that the team is investing heavily in a new quarterback next year. The team’s 0-14 record should tell him all he needs to know about his future, but I can’t imagine he has too much confidence heading into the final two games.

He believes he can be the starter in 2018, but there can’t be too much faith behind that belief.

I hope this doesn’t mean Kizer will collapse during the final two games, but it is also hard to define what a collapse would actually be given the way he has played all season. His interception against the Green Bay Packers in overtime was about the worst throw Browns fans have ever seen, so I’m not sure how much worse things can get.

Next: Discussing the 0-16 parade in the DPD Podcast

Those who believe in Kizer should enjoy the next two games, because he will be standing on the sidelines in 2018, either in Cleveland or in another city willing to take in the young quarterback.