Cleveland Browns: The Undervalued Presence of Drew Stanton

The Cleveland Browns completely reshuffled their quarterback room this offseason. But the one quarterback that is not being talked about could be playing one of the most important roles.

The Browns no longer have a single quarterback that was on their roster from 2017. This offseason, they’ve added Tyrod Taylor, Baker Mayfield, and Drew Stanton to form their 2018 quarterback room.

But of the three, all of the talk surrounds Mayfield and Taylor, and rightfully so. Those two are going to be competing for the starting quarterback job during training camp. Although head coach Hue Jackson has already said the job is Taylor’s.

Taylor is the veteran that just led the Buffalo Bills to their first playoff appearance since 1999. He will be looking to do the same in Cleveland as the starting quarterback, as the Browns are currently in a 15-year playoff drought. Taylor is one of the most established quarterbacks the Cleveland Browns have brought in since they’ve returned to Cleveland in 1999.

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Baker Mayfield is the first overall pick with monumental expectations to be the future of the team that leads the organization out of purgatory. Although the organization does not want Mayfield playing this year, he has the talent that will make it difficult not to have start at some point this season.

But the man that will be the biggest help in Mayfield’s development is the guy that no one is talking about. And that’s Stanton.

It appeared the Browns signed Stanton to just be the backup. However, he will be the primary man that Mayfield will turn to for help in his transition to the pro’s. Taylor is a veteran that could help Mayfield’s transition. But it will be a bigger benefit to the team if Taylor is focused on the gameplan every week as the starter and trying to win games instead of worrying about Mayfield’s development.

Stanton understands all of the subtle things that a rookie quarterback needs to learn for a smoother transition. Stanton will be entering the 2018 season as a 12-year veteran, and has seen it all as a quarterback. If Mayfield has any questions, Stanton has all the answers.

Having a quarterback like Stanton is what can turn a rookie quarterback from being average to being a very good quarterback. Using Stanton as a reference will be key for Mayfield’s development. It could be why Cleveland signed Stanton to a two-year deal.

With Taylor set to be a free agent at the end of the season, Stanton will still be on the roster when Mayfield takes the reins as the starting quarterback. If Mayfield is having some problems as the starting quarterback, the man that has helped Mayfield for a year at that point will still be with him to answer questions.

And not only will he be great for Mayfield’s development, Stanton is one of the better backup quarterbacks in the NFL. Although he is not going to single-handedly win games for his team when the starter is out of the game. But he manages games and does not make mistakes that will lose games for his team.

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Understandably, Stanton is not receiving the type of attention the other two quarterbacks are. But he will be playing a pretty big role on this team. And that is helping the development of the organizations future. For that, he should be getting much more attention than what he has received since his signing.

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