Cleveland Browns Preseason Week 2 studs and duds in win over Indianapolis

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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – AUGUST 17: Garrett Gilbert #3 of the Cleveland Browns looks to pass during the first half against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 17, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Stud: Garrett Gilbert, Quarterback

D’Ernest Johnson isn’t the only AAF alum on the Browns roster as he has the pleasure of playing alongside his former Orlando Apollos quarterback, Garrett Gilbert. The former Texas Longhorn played excellent football for the Apollos and finished with 2,152 yards and 13 touchdown passes against just three picks. He was a great decision-maker for Orlando and completed 60.6 percent of his passes. And just for good measure, he even had a five-yard touchdown reception during the shortened season.

Now with the Browns, Gilbert is trying to convince the team to keep three quarterbacks on the roster. Head coach Freddie Kitchens has come out and said that Drew Stanton will be the No. 2 signal-caller behind Baker Mayfield. With that being the case, he wants Gilbert or undrafted rookie David Blough to show they’re worth keeping around as well.

With his performance in the first couple of weeks of the preseason, Gilbert seems to be doing exactly that. Both Mayfield and Stanton sat this one out, which gave Gilbert the opportunity to start and he played very well. In one half, he was 13-of-19 passing for 151 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

He took them to the half with a 14-7 lead before turning things over to Blough, who also had a good day throwing the ball. The former Purdue star was 7-of-12 on his attempts with 74 yards and another touchdown.

Cleveland fans are thrilled to finally have their franchise quarterback in Baker Mayfield, but one thing that’s often lost is how deep they finally are at this position — which is a welcome change from what we have become accustomed to.

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