Daily Dawg Tags: Hue Jackson hoping rookie QB can sit and learn
By Thomas Moore
Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson says he doesn’t want to rush a rookie quarterback onto the field. Will he back up his words with actions this fall?
Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson met with the media Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine and, naturally, the talk turned to quarterbacks.
Despite bungling the situation for the past two years, Jackson continues to maintain that he will have a say in who the next Browns quarterback will be as the team continues to work its way through the pre-draft process.
This week in Indianapolis, Jackson, general manager John Dorsey and the rest of the crew will get a chance to watch the potential quarterbacks work their way through the various drills, as well as meet with them in private sessions.
That group includes Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, USC’s Sam Darnold, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, UCLA’s Josh Rosen and Wyoming’s Josh Allen, one of whom will almost assuredly here his name called when the Browns go on the clock with the No. 1 overall selection in the draft.
Once that pick is made, the talk will quickly turn to just how soon Browns fans will get to see the latest quarterback savior on the field in a regular season game. If Jackson is to be believed, that wait could be a while, according to Nate Ulrich at ohio.com:
"“Would we have to [start a quarterback drafted at No. 1 overall right away]? I would hope not. I would hope there’s other things. There are going to be other opportunities.”"
Jackson, of course, said essentially the same thing last season about quarterback DeShone Kizer, the team’s second-round draft pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Kizer wound up being named the starter for Week 1 and, with considerable help from Jackson’s mismanagement of the situation, helped lead the Browns to just the second 0-16 season in NFL history.
The team won’t be repeating that mistake with this year’s rookie, if Jackson is to be believed, because the Browns will have a veteran quarterback on the roster.
That could have happened last year, but Jackson did not want to keep Josh McCown, quite possibly the best veteran mentor playing quarterback in the league today, on the roster. Which, in turn, “forced” Jackson to turn the offense over to Kizer.
Apparently that never happened, or last year doesn’t count, it’s all a bit hazy.
But it is a new day, so perhaps this is the year that Jackson finally starts backing up his words with actions.
Cleveland Browns news:
Browns hopeful that a Joe Thomas decision is on the horizon
The Cleveland Browns learned what life is like without left tackle Joe Thomas in 2017. Head coach Hue Jackson is hoping to not relive that this fall.
Case Keenum a valid option for the Browns
With some big names being thrown around this offseason, why shouldn’t the Cleveland Browns instead look at Case Keenum to play quarterback in 2018?
Going winless may help the Browns going forward
While going 0-16 wasn’t fun for the Cleveland Browns or their fans, the winless season may have actually improved their chances in the future.
Hue Jackson wants Josh Gordon to be a Brown for a long time (cleveland.com)
"Follow Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon on Instagram and you’ll get to see him work out. You’ll get to see him peddle his ‘Flash’ gear. You might even get to see him go live from a rec center waiting to play basketball."
NFL news:
Redskins don’t plan to franchise tag Kirk Cousins again (ESPN)
"The Washington Redskins don’t anticipate using the franchise tag on quarterback Kirk Cousins. Redskins senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams said Wednesday that he doesn’t think they would try to tag Cousins for a third straight season."
Jets cut Muhammad Wilkerson (NFL.com)
"Hit the road, Mo. The New York Jets informed defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson of his release on Wednesday, the team announced."
Matt Forte announces his retirement (SI.com)
"New York Jets running back Matt Forte announced his retirement after 10 seasons in the NFL on Wednesday. The 32-year-old tweeted a statement that was originally given to Sports Spectrum, in which he thanked the various people who’d gotten him to where he was."