Dawgs By Nature
For a franchise that’s seen its fair share, you have to go back a bit to find the last open battle.
The Cleveland Browns are set to welcome their rookie class, consisting of their seven selections along with the undrafted free agent signings, to Berea this weekend. They will get on the field for the first time as Browns for rookie minicamp scheduled to begin on Friday.
While it’s more of an orientation to introduce the players to the facilities, coaches, and basic scheme concepts, there will be two rookies entering the stage to compete for the most important position on the team.
Cleveland drafted two quarterbacks when they selected Dillon Gabriel at pick 94 and Shedeur Sanders just fifty picks later at 144 during the draft. This weekend will be the first opportunity for both to make an impression on the coaching staff.
Overall, they’ll be added to the mix along with Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco over the coming weeks. For a franchise desperate to solve the QB position, it’s surprising that it’s been a while since the Browns have had a true competition for the starting job. Other moves could have been made during the offseason to get a presumed starter, but Cleveland decided to keep their options open.
You have to go back to 2017, as the last time the Browns didn’t anoint a quarterback as the lead on the depth chart. That year was Hue Jackson’s second season as head coach and featured a battle between Cody Kessler, Brock Osweiler, Kevin Hogan, and rookie DeShone Kizer.
Kessler was thought to have the edge that year, coming off a rookie season that showed flashes at times during his eight starts. Ultimately, it was Kizer who ended up drawing the short straw and winning that battle by default of being a second-round pick.
For GM Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski, this will be a new experience and one they should look to take full advantage of. Both inherited Baker Mayfield as the former number one overall pick, and the belief at the time was that he’d be the franchise guy for years to come.
When that didn’t go as well as they hoped, they pivoted and took a swing on a proven commodity, at the time, in Deshaun Watson. Neither star had to attempt to earn anything during their time in Cleveland, and if we are being honest, managing their egos was part of the job description until now.
It won’t just be the media fascinated with who wins the Browns’ job. This time, the rest of the players in the locker room will be dialed in to see if a clear winner emerges.
Hopefully, Stefanski and the staff will remain patient and let that happen organically with their performances on the field and in the meeting room. It could do wonders for the rest of the team to witness the four battle it out and set an example for every position group across the...
