On Monday, the Cleveland Browns made a move that left everyone flabbergasted. The team signed veteran quarterback Tyler Huntley. The reason the move caught everyone off guard is because Cleveland already has a crowded quarterback room. The Browns currently have a four-man quarterback competition between Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickettt, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders. Also, Deshaun Watson is still on the roster, rehabbing his Achilles injury.
With five quarterbacks already rostered, it’s completely understandable that people were quick to ask what are the Browns doing. However, the acquisition of Huntley is much more sensible than it seems. With what Cleveland has went through in recent days, and what it has coming up, adding Huntley was actually a really smart move.
While the Browns had five quarterbacks on the roster, prior to signing Huntley, the team only had two healthy quarterbacks in each of their last two practices. On Monday, Flacco and Sanders were the only two who were full go, as both Pickett and Gabriel were limited with hamstring injuries. During Saturday’s practice, Gabriel and Flacco were the only two participating, as Sanders was sidelined with shoulder soreness.
While Sanders is back at 100%, Flacco was the only other quarterback on the roster that could say that as the Browns travel to Charlotte for joint practices with the Carolina Panthers. After two days of joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday, Cleveland will face off against Carolina in their first preseason game. That’s when Huntley’s presence could really come into play.
Browns may need Tyler Huntley so Cleveland can get through a preseason game
It’s unclear if Pickett will be ready to go for Friday’s game, but there’s a strong chance he misses it. Gabriel may also have to watch from the sidelines if his hamstring isn’t ready. Then there’s 40-year-old Joe Flacco, who’s entering year 18; he probably isn’t going to play in the preseason much, if at all. That means Cleveland could have faced a situation where Sanders would’ve been forced to play the entire game.
While fans would certainly love to see him pass the ball 60 times on Friday like he was back at Colorado, it’d be irresponsible for the franchise to make him do that in the first preseason game. That’s why Cleveland got prepared and brought in Huntley — someone who spent time with the Browns last season.
The team didn’t sign Huntley to add him to the quarterback competition, it signed him to get through practices and preseason games if the other quarterbacks go down.