Browns should roll with DeShone Kizer
The Cleveland Browns aren’t going to the playoffs this season. The stars could align, everyone could stay healthy and all the luck in the world could be on their side, and six wins would still be the ultimate ceiling of the 2017 edition.
None of the above is meant as a slight toward a franchise that gets slings and arrows in spades. The Browns are doing the right thing on many levels, acquiring draft picks while building along the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Cleveland has a terrific offensive wall in Joe Thomas, Joel Bitonio, Kevin Zeitler and JC Tretter, while the front seven features Jaime Collins, Christian Kirksey and first-overall pick Myles Garrett.
In fact, because Cleveland has been making the right decisions over the past few offseason, it has allowed itself the opportunity to start DeShone Kizer under center as a rookie come September.
In many cases, starting a rookie quarterback on a bad team is a horrid idea. Typically, that player is going to buried under an avalanche of bad protection and poor coaching, resulting in irreversible habits and lost confidence. Kizer shouldn’t have that problem. The strength of the Browns is the aforementioned offensive line, anchored by Kizer’s blindside protector in Thomas, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer.
In addition, Hue Jackson is one of the brighter minds in the game, specifically on the offensive side. Cleveland doesn’t have all-world weapons for the former Notre Dame Fighting Irish star to utilize yet, but there are some bright spots in receivers Corey Coleman and Kenny Britt. In fact, Britt is one of Kizer’s biggest supporters, giving some large praise to the youngster, via NFL.com.
“He’s grown each day,” Britt told reporters Sunday. … “I actually asked him yesterday, has the offense slowed down for him? He said ‘Yes’ and I was like, ‘I can tell.’ He’s looking at certain things, he’s seeing the defense before the snap count, and once he lines up he knows there’s certain things he has to do.
“He’s going to be one of the great ones.”
Kizer may prove to be great, but regardless, he needs to be thrust into the lineup. Playing Brock Osweiler or Cody Kessler is a waste of valuable time. The Browns could be using this season as a stress-free period to evaluate and teach Kizer instead of watching a duo of quarterbacks who have no part in their long-term plans.
Cleveland is a bad football team, but it is starting to make strides. The Browns can take a huge step if Kizer is, finally, the answer that fans have been searching for under center since the days of Bernie Kosar.
