Cleveland Browns top 10 quarterbacks in franchise history
By Randy Gurzi
Cleveland Browns top QB all-time No. 2: Bernie Kosar, 1985-1993
Pick Analysis. QB. BernieKosar. player. 53. Scouting Report. 1985-1993. 2
In the city of Cleveland, the name Bernie is still known and respected. Bernie Kosar can still go by just his first name alone as he has gone down as not only one of the best quarterbacks in team history but also one of the most popular.
A superstar coming out of Miami, Kosar entered the supplemental draft in 1985 and Cleveland used a first-round pick on the hometown kid — who made it known that he wanted to play for the team he grew up rooting for.
After leading them to a 4-6 record in 10 starts as a rookie, Kosar and the Browns took off in 1986. That season, they went 12-4 and he had 3,854 yards and 17 touchdowns. Year three was a personal best for Kosar who had 3,033 yards with a 22-to-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio in just 12 starts.
Most importantly, he led them to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons and did so four times from 1985 through 1989 — only missing out on the postseason in 1988.
Sadly, injuries started to play a part in Kosar’s departure from the team as he played a full season just once from 1990 through 1992. Then in 1993, he was surprisingly let go as head coach Bill Belichick favored Vinny Testaverde.
The good news for Kosar was that he joined the Dallas Cowboys that year as a reserve behind Troy Aikman. He had three touchdowns for them in the regular season that year and threw a touchdown in the playoffs as well. Kosar was rewarded with a Super Bowl ring as well as the Cowboys knocked off the Bills — and he was able to take the final knee in that game.
Kosar is still third in team history with 21,904 yards passing and fourth with 116 touchdowns.