With the Browns down to rookie quarterback Cody Kessler with newcomer Charlie Whitehurst as the backup, there’s another guy on the roster who has more career NFL starts at quarterback than Kessler and Whitehurst combined.
Terrelle Pryor, who started 10 games at quarterback for the Raiders before changing positions, was asked on Wednesday whether he would play quarterback for the Browns, if called upon to do so. His response was a tad extreme.
“For this city, for the coaching staff that worked their butts off and my teammates I will do anything for us to win,” Pryor told reporters. “Anything. Cut my finger off, do whatever I have to do. That is because I want to win. I really want to win. . . . [W]e have a lot of positivity and positive things out of last week, things we could do different. I want to look down on this field, I want to win. I am all about winning, competing. For me, that is what this is about for me. That is it.”
Pryor now serves as a starting receiver. His fellow starter at the position, rookie Corey Coleman, has faith in Kessler’s ability to get the job done.
“It is going to be tough, but we have the right guy for it,” Coleman said of Kessler. “He is going to do just fine. He will get the job done. He is a smart guy. He is a competitor, too. . . . I came in with Cody. Rookie minicamp, it was just Cody and all of the rookies, of course. He is a great quarterback. I have a lot of confidence in him.”
Why is Coleman so confident in the third-round rookie?
“Because that is the type of guy he is,” Coleman said. “He is a hard worker. He likes to be the best. He likes to work really hard. He’s going to stay up here and do everything he can to put himself in a successful situation. I’m excited for him, too, because he gets a chance to go out there and prove himself.”
Kessler is indeed working hard. He told reporters that he stayed at the facility until 10:00 p.m. ET each night this week to get ready for the game at Miami. His ethic and potential have drawn the praise not only of a fellow rookie like Coleman, but also of the most tenured leader of the offense.
“I don’t think he is ready on Wednesday, but he will definitely be ready on Saturday,” tackle Joe Thomas told reporters regarding Kessler, with a laugh. “He is really studious. He has been studying to be the starter since he got here. He got the opportunity probably sooner than he expected, but we know he is going to do a great job. He is a guy that has played some big time football games at the college level. Playing at USC obviously is a big benefit for him. He has won games. He knows how to do it. The moment is not going to be too big for him, and we have a game plan we think is really well tailored for the things that he does well. I am excited to see how he does.”
Browns fans may not call starting the third quarterback in three weeks “exciting,” but Thomas has been down this road before.
“Unfortunately, it has happened more times than not in my career,” Thomas said regarding the revolving door at the position. “The guys that have been here for a while, we know how to handle it. I think the guys that are new, it is a quick lesson on being ready because at any moment you could go from zero snaps to being the starter.”
The next guy to get that experience could be Whitehurst. Or Pryor. Or whoever else currently is currently not in the NFL but who may end up adding his name to the ever-growing list of starting quarterbacks since the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999.