Cleveland Browns: Quarterback situation may not be settled just yet

The Cleveland Browns coaching staff and front office have reiterated that Tyrod Taylor will be the starter, but Hue Jackson’s history of indecision could mean that the situation is still up in the air.

Coming out of the Cleveland Browns minicamp, it seems like a certainty that Tyrod Taylor will be the starting quarterback for the season. Not only has head coach Hue Jackson made it a point of emphasis to the media, but offensive coordinator Todd Haley also shared his opinion on the quarterback situation.

Last week, Haley said that rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield has a ‘long way to go’ and doesn’t see him pushing for the starting job during training camp, via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.

"“Again, that’s yet to be determined,” he said. “He has a long way to go. I’d say it’s clear that Tyrod is the leader of this team. That is a big component of that position, also. What I will say is probably in my career, this is one of the best if not the best quarterbacks rooms in general that I’ve had.”"

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It is expected that it will take Mayfield time to adjust to the NFL, and there is nothing wrong with that. The Browns do not want to have another young quarterback go up in flames because they were rushed into starting the rookie quarterback when he was not quite ready to be put into that position.

But even with the assurances from practically everyone involved in the Browns organization that Taylor will be the starting quarterback, Jackson’s past of flip-flopping on his quarterback decisions could cause the quarterback situation to last all the way to the beginning of the regular season.

As noted by The MMQB’s Jonathan Jones, the Browns quarterback situation last season was a revolving door during training camp.

"July 26: “Cody Kessler will walk out there first. He deserves a chance to walk out there first.”Aug. 7: Brock Osweiler is named the preseason starter. “This thing is not over by any stretch. This is the decision I’ve made at this time.”Aug. 23: DeShone Kizer named the starter for the third exhibition. “…this is the next step he needs to take and he deserves this opportunity.”Aug. 27: Kizer is named the Week 1 starter. “He’s earned the right to play through his preparation.”"

This year’s quarterback situation will certainly look much different than what happened with the quarterbacks last season. None of the Browns quarterbacks last season had the type of success that Taylor has. Last year’s rookie DeShone Kizer was also not as prepared for the NFL coming out of college as Baker Mayfield is.

And the terminology that Jackson has been using this season has been much different than last season when describing why a certain player was chosen to be the starter.

Last season, Jackson described the quarterback competition as a process and the decision to start a player was only for that week. This season, he has repeatedly said that Taylor WILL be the starter.

But with Jackson having such a history of changing his mind on his quarterbacks, it is hard to take his word on Taylor being the starter for certain.

What helped push Kizer into the starting job last season was his solid performances during the preseason. If Mayfield has a lights out preseason and Taylor struggles, Jackson may feel pressured into starting Mayfield.

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It seems that Taylor has done everything needed to earn and hold onto his spot as the Browns starting at this juncture of the offseason. But with training camp and preseason games left on the schedule, there is still time for Mayfield to cause Jackson to reconsider his decision to start Taylor.

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