When the Browns spent a first-round draft pick on Brandon Weeden, it was widely believed that he would get an opportunity to unseat Colt McCoy as the starting quarterback during training camp. But that may not be quite right: It could turn out that the Browns will name Weeden the starter even before training camp.
That’s what Browns coach Pat Shurmur hinted at today’s minicamp practice: Shurmur noted that when he was offensive coordinator in St. Louis, they named rookie quarterback Sam Bradford the starter at the beginning of training camp, and that worked out well.
Of course, Bradford was the No. 1 overall pick and Weeden was the No. 22 overall pick, so the situations are not quite the same. But Shurmur said he’d like to pick a starter “sooner rather than late,” and all indications are that Weeden is the favorite of the coaching staff. Weeden has been getting the reps with the first-string offense, and Shurmur said Weeden is fitting right in.
“He’s quickly getting a feel for his receivers,” Shurmur said.
Shurmur also noted that the whole reason you draft a player in the first round is that you view him as a starter.
“When you have new players that you really like, and that’s why you picked them, you just need to see them come in and do it before you make that move,” Shurmur said.
If Weeden keeps looking good over the rest of minicamp and OTAs, Shurmur may be ready to make the move before training camp starts.