Today the Cleveland Browns, who are one of only three winless teams in the league after five weeks, made a quarterback change. The move was first reported by ClevelandBrowns.com senior writer Andrew Gribble. Head coach Hue Jackson officially announced the news soon afterward that second-year quarterback Kevin Hogan would start this week's game against the Houston Texans, as rookie Deshone Kizer has been benched.
What this means for Kevin Hogan
When Kevin Hogan sets foot on the field for the team's first offensive snap in NRG Stadium he will continue a trend for the team.
According to Michael David Smith, managing editor at Pro Football Talk, he will be the 28th different starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns since they re-entered the league as an expansion team.
The 24-year-old was selected by the team in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Stanford. As a rookie he played in four games, going 14-of-26 (53.8 percent) for 104 yards with two interceptions. He also had eight carries for 105 yards and one touchdown.
According to Gribble, this offseason Hogan put in work to improve his game. He then leapfrogged Brock Osweiler and Cody Kessler to win the backup job behind Kizer. He has appeared in three games in relief, going 26-of-38 (68.4 percent) for 377 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
With Hogan getting the starting job over the rookie, it seems likely that he will keep it for the remainder of the season barring injury or extremely poorly play. This is his chance to prove that the team that he has what it take to be their quarterback going forward. If not, the Browns will most likely draft a quarterback with one of their first-round picks in 2018.
Here’s the full list of Browns quarterbacks since they re-entered the league as an expansion team in 1999: pic.twitter.com/8SizfPPRWM
— Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) October 11, 2017
Hogan worked this offseason with QB guru and former Browns QB Jeff Christensen. Other pupils include Garoppolo, Cousins, Tannehill.
— Andrew Gribble (@Andrew_Gribble) October 11, 2017
Browns 2018 picks
Rd 1
Rd 1 (HOU)
Rd 2
Rd 2 (HOU)
Rd 2 (PHI)
Rd 3
Rd 4
Rd 4 (CAR)
Rd 5
Rd 5 (KC)
Rd 6
Rd 6 (PIT)
Rd 7
— CLE_OHIO (@CLE_OHIO) September 7, 2017
Browns 2018 picks
— CLE_OHIO (@CLE_OHIO) September 7, 2017
Rd 1
Rd 1 (HOU)
Rd 2
Rd 2 (HOU)
Rd 2 (PHI)
Rd 3
Rd 4
Rd 4 (CAR)
Rd 5
Rd 5 (KC)
Rd 6
Rd 6 (PIT)
Rd 7
What this means for DeShone Kizer
The Cleveland Browns selected DeShone Kizer out of Notre Dame with the 52nd pick in the second-round after he fell to them.
It seemed that Kizer would sit on the bench and learn in his rookie season, but the team was unimpressed with veteran Brock Osweiler and second-year player Cody Kessler.
Some felt Kizer was not yet ready to play in the league, as he came out of college as a redshirt sophomore with only 23 starts under his belt. He played solid in a week one loss to the Steelers, but his play has deteriorated since. He has completed less than 50 percent of his passes in each of the last four games and has thrown a league-leading nine interceptions.
With the plethora of picks the Browns have in 2018, it would seem that Kizer's chances of starting for the team are dim after only five games. However, the Browns have a history of picking quarterbacks high in the draft and giving them a short leash.
According to stats on Pro Football Reference, since picking Tim Couch in the first-round in 1999 (59 games), their other first-round picks in Brady Quinn (12), Brandon Weeden (20) and Johnny Manziel (eight) did not even get two full seasons of games to start. The same goes for third-round picks like Charlie Frye (19), Colt McCoy (21) and Cody Kessler (eight).
Hue Jackson's statement on his decision to start Kevin Hogan: pic.twitter.com/xtB5VGkqP4
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 11, 2017
DeShone Kizer still confident, expressing faith in Hue Jackson's decision to make QB change: "It's about accepting this as a challenge."
— Patrick Maks (@maksimuspatrick) October 11, 2017
Jackson: "DeShone Kizer has a huge future here with the Cleveland Browns."
— Andrew Gribble (@Andrew_Gribble) October 11, 2017