Cleveland Browns 2017 Season Preview: Quarterbacks

By Katelin Marshall, @KatelinKnowsCLE

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On Wednesday Head Coach Hue Jackson announced that rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer will start the the third preseason game and that "he (Kizer) is certainly positioning himself well to earn the starting job." So it looks like its going to be Kizer's team in week one...So what should we as fans expect from the quarterback position in 2017?

First things first, DeShone Kizer is a rookie and is the youngest quarterback in the NFL this season. And I think that's important to note before we all go crazy with expectations.

This team was built to handle a rookie quarterback. The Browns went into the off-season and rebuilt their offensive line with the signing of J.C. Tretter and Kevin Zeitler. Last year, the Browns gave up the most sacks in the league. Some of it was on the quarterbacks but a lot of it was because of the struggles of the offensive line. With the rebuild of the offensive line the Browns will be a run heavy team with Isaiah Crowell, Duke Johnson, and Matt Dayes.

Those two factors will take a majority of the pressure off of Kizer. He won't have to throw the ball 30 times a game to win. And its not like Kizer isn't going to make rookie mistakes, like we seen in the first two weeks of the preseason. Whether its poor decision making, fumbling the snap under center, or not sliding on scrambles these are all teachable moments. The way we judge Kizer shouldn't be wins and losses, but how he grows week-to-week into a more comfortable NFL quarterback.

DeShone Kizer gives the Browns the best opportunity to win games this season. Kizer's arm strength will keep defenses honest with the deep ball and prevent teams from stacking the line of scrimmage which will only help the running game. Kizer also has an ability to run the ball. He was a solid runner at Notre Dame and with his 6'4 235 frame gives the Browns another running threat in short yardage and red zone situations.

Its exciting to see a rookie quarterback start from day one, something we haven't seen since Brandon Weeden in 2012. Kizer earned this opportunity to start week one and has worked his way up from third string quarterback in the first week of the preseason to first string in the third week.

If Cody Kessler plays in 2017 it means Kizer got hurt. Its that simple. We know what we have in Kessler. He can come in, manage a game, and that's about it. He's not gonna make the big play but he's also not gonna make the big mistake.

Brock Osweiler's tenure with the Browns might be coming to an end real soon. He was given an opportunity to grab the starting job and he failed. If he's not traded by the end of the preseason I expect Brock to be released when the Browns cut down the roster to 53.