Garrett Gilbert impressive vs. Colts, but won’t be Cleveland Browns backup QB

Cleveland Browns quarterback Garrett Gilbert had another solid preseason performance, but he will not overtake Drew Stanton as the backup quarterback.

With most of the offensive starters not playing in the second preseason game, Cleveland Browns quarterback Garrett Gilbert got the start against the Indianapolis Colts. And despite playing against the starting Colts defense for a couple drives, Gilbert put together a solid performance.

Gilbert played the entire first half, completing 13 of his 19 pass attempts for 151 yards, two touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 127.3. The 28-year-old quarterback picked apart the Colts zone coverage while standing tall in the pocket.

He also made a couple impressive throws, including a perfect 32-yard completion to D.J. Montgomery down the right sideline in the second quarter. The completion led to a touchdown a play later.

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Gilbert’s solid performance against the Colts followed up another good game against the Washington Redskins in the preseason opener. Gilbert completed 14 of his 22 pass attempts for 135 yards.

The strong start to the preseason for Gilbert led some to believe that he could potentially overtake Drew Stanton as the backup quarterback. Stanton did not play against the Colts, but struggled in the opener against the Redskins, completing only three of his eight pass attempts for 63 yards and a quarterback rating of 66.1.

However, despite Gilbert’s strong preseason, it is not going to cause him to become the Browns backup quarterback. Following the Colts game, Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens said that Stanton will be team’s backup quarterback when the regular season starts.

Although Gilbert has been impressive, Kitchens sticking with Stanton is not surprising. The Browns believe Stanton’s experience as a backup and leadership qualities will make him a more reliable No. 2 quarterback than Gilbert.

But at the start of the preseason, it was unknown if the Browns would carry three quarterbacks, and if they did, who would be the third quarterback. In just two preseason games, it seems like Gilbert has done enough to make the Browns 53-man roster as the No. 3 quarterback.

Gilbert may not have as much playing time during next week’s game, which is typically used as a “dress rehearsal” for the starting units. But he has been impressive in the first two preseason games, even though it will not earn him the backup quarterback job.