What are the Cleveland Browns options for third-string quarterback?

The Cleveland Browns placed backup quarterback Drew Stanton on injured reserve Monday, so what are the Browns options to replace him in the quarterback room?

With Drew Stanton placed on injured reserve with a bum knee, the Cleveland Browns could decide to go with only two quarterbacks, or they might elect to sign a new third-string quarterback. The realistic options are not that great.

Neither Andrew Luck nor Brett Favre are likely to be coming out of retirement to back up Baker Mayfield and Garrett Gilbert in the Browns quarterback room. The Browns would probably be wise to sign someone, as they have not given much sign of wanting to protect Mayfield this year, allowing eight sacks in only two games.

Depending on how his knee progresses, Stanton could be brought off the IR after eight games. But each NFL team can only bring back two players a year from IR, and an eight game vacation is a long time. They might take a chance they can survive for seven more games, and at that point he can be left on IR and optionally be brought back in case of an emergency.

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In the meantime, the team genuinely likes his work with the younger quarterbacks, especially Mayfield, so Stanton will continue to be a factor in the quarterback room and practice field.

Ideally, a third-string pickup would be a game-manager type, preferably with experience either in the team’s system or with the offensive coordinator and staff. There are no guys out there who are consistent winners, and very few have much experience. Big names (okay, not that big, but you might have heard of some of them) include Paxton Lynch (Steelers practice squad), Kyle Lauletta (Eagles practice squad), Taylor Heinicke, Tom Savage, Luis Perez and others.

There are actually at least three other options out there with Browns experience, for what it is worth. It is impossible to predict what John Dorsey might do, but it is not crazy to bring back someone from the recent past. It may be that Hue Jackson, more so that Dorsey, wanted to clear the decks in 2018, since Jackson complained about the quarterback position under Sashi Brown and tried to force a trade for A. J. McCarron.

Cody Kessler, who started eight games in 2016, put up reasonable passing numbers but 0-8 for the Browns as a starter. The major knock on Kessler is that he has held the ball too long and taken too many unnecessary sacks. He went 2-2 for Jacksonville last year. His career passing rating is 83.7.

Kevin Hogan had a start in 2017 and showed ability and aggressiveness for the Browns in a two-year hitch. He was originally drafted by John Dorsey in Kansas City, and got into a few games with Cleveland, with a 4:7 touchdown to interception ratio. He also holds the Browns record for longest touchdown run by a quarterback. The ability to run is important, because Mayfield has been running for his life so far this season.

Brock Osweiler‘s Browns career lasted for a few minutes in the 2017 preseason. He subsequently went 2-3 in five starts with Miami last year. He is 15-15 as a starter during his career. He might not be willing to sign as a fill-in for only one year. It might take a two-year deal and it might be considerably over the league minimum.

Because of the rapid turnover, bringing back a 2017 vintage quarterback would have only a limited knowledge of the team because it is a new coaching staff and almost a totally rebuilt roster. However, some players remain, including wide receiver Rashard Higgins, left guard Joel Bitonio, tight end David Njoku, and center J. C. Tretter.

Brogan Roback was a preseason star of Hard Knocks in 2018. He is also available, having been cut this summer from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since he was in the Browns camp as recently as 2018, he has the advantage of being familiar with several receivers on the team, and at least knows Freddie Kitchens.

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There will be a run on quarterbacks this week as several teams are looking for a decent backup, including the Steelers, Jets, Saints and others. The Browns may not get their first choice, as backing up Baker Mayfield may be a dead-end job.

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