Ranking all 30 of the Cleveland Browns quarterbacks since 1999
By Greg Newland
No. 14 – Tyrod Taylor
Tyrod Taylor was the quarterback answer by John Dorsey in 2018. The Browns would draft a quarterback with the overall number one pick, but Taylor was going to be the starter. Taylor wasn’t horrible as the quarterback, but he was a game manager. The third-and-10 throws for three yards followed by a punt got old quickly.
Taylor was quickly pulled after three games as the starter in 2018 and went 1-1-1. Keep in mind the won win came after he was injured in the first half. The Browns had to come back and win that game without him. Taylor has a winning record in the NFL at 23-21-1, but he is not going to go out and steal you any wins.
He is a game manager that needs to play on a team with a great defense. He had a perfect situation with the Buffalo Bills, hence the playoff appearance in 2015.
No. 13 – Josh McCown
The ultimate backup quarterback journeyman in the NFL may be Josh McCown. In a 16-year career, he has played for eight different teams and compiled 76 starts. McCown has a strong arm but was known to throw a few too many interceptions. He’s athletic, but he took a few too many hard hits trying to run the football.
McCown had 11 starts in two seasons with the Browns in 2015 and 2016. He only won one game in Cleveland, but he was able to keep most games competitive on a bad team. McCown has never started a full season in the NFL and has never had a winning season, but his professionalism and intelligence have allowed him to have a great career as a backup.
No. 12 – Brady Quinn
Browns’ fans were ecstatic when the team drafted Ohio native Brady Quinn with the No. 22 pick in the 2007 draft. The Columbus native was a high performer at Notre Dame, and the Browns were still in desperate need of a franchise quarterback.
Quinn would be forced to wait until 2008 before seeing a snap, but in his three total years with the Browns, he was only able to go 3-9. Quinn would never find success in the NFL and would only ever play in eight additional NFL games before retiring in 2014. It was quickly seen that Quinn didn’t have the decision-making skills and accuracy it took to be an NFL starter.
No. 11 – Brandon Weeden
The Browns haven’t had many more disappointing quarterbacks than Brandon Weeden. When drafted 22nd overall, Browns’ fans were in an uproar as the 28-year old rookie was the oldest first-round pick ever. FYI Cleveland, stop picking quarterbacks at No. 22, Quinn, Weeden, nor Manziel worked out.
Browns’ fans weren’t wrong, and Weeden is only 11 out of 30 because of the bad quarterbacks in Cleveland, not because he was good. In 20 starts throughout two seasons, Weeden would go just 5-15 while throwing 23 touchdowns and 26 interceptions. Weeden managed to stay in the league as a backup but never came close to first-round pick expectations.