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3 weeks, 3 quarterbacks.
From “Not close to being ready to play” to “Get in there and face Ndamukong Suh, Mario Williams, and Cameron Wake.”
Cleveland Browns fans, brace yourselves this week for the debut of rookie sensation Cody Kessler!
Oh dear. Cody Kessler drops back... And goes out of the back of the end zone.
— NFL (@NFL) August 13, 2016
That's a safety. #CLEvsGB https://t.co/MfHUEEkHNy
All kidding aside, Kessler, the team’s third round pick, was expected to play at some point later this season. No one could have anticipated that Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown would each suffer left shoulder injuries in Week 1 and Week 2, respectively, to begin the year. The team simply has no other option for Week 3’s game against the Miami Dolphins.
This preseason, Kessler lived up to his billing of being an accurate short- to intermediate-passer who doesn’t have a lot of zip on passes downfield. In fairness, he was always working with the third-string offense, so having some more playmakers will help him (the counter is that is he’s facing a first-team defense now too).
As far as McCown’s health goes, head coach Hue Jackson could only offer this update during Monday’s press conference:
#Browns HC Hue Jackson said I don't know that Josh McCown's shoulder/clavicle is broken, think it's more of a deep sprain at this time.
— Nate Ulrich (@NateUlrichABJ) September 19, 2016
The team is still discussing whether they will sign a veteran quarterback to be the backup this week, or if they’ll just promote Kevin Hogan from the practice squad.
Jackson also confirmed that John Greco will start at center and Alvin Bailey will start at right guard this week. Defensive end Carl Nassib, who has a broken hand, will at least miss this Sunday’s game and is week-to-week.