Coach Pat Shurmur will get his first look at Brandon Weeden as a member of the Browns at the rookie minicamp this weekend and, based on what he said during a conference call on Thursday, that will be when the process of picking a starting quarterback will start.
Plenty of people believe that Weeden will be the starting quarterback this season. The rationale for such belief is pretty sound. Weeden is 28 and he was a first-round pick, a combination that doesn’t really lend itself to an extended apprenticeship at the NFL level. Shurmur said Thursday, via the Akron Beacon-Journal, that there hasn’t been any decision made at this point. According to Shurmur, Weeden and every other rookie will have to earn their starting spot.
“Yeah, I think that is the speech I give all of the rookies and it will be part of what I say tonight as well. Again, I know what we are all trying to get at with this stuff, but we drafted these players for a reason. We drafted them with the idea that they could come in and start or until they start, could be effective role players. But, they have to come here and do it. By doing it, that’s when we talk about competing.”
There’s not really much else Shurmur can say at this point, although there’s no chance that Trent Richardson isn’t already etched into the top of the depth chart. General Manager Tom Heckert was a bit more candid in his appearance on PFT Live Wednesday when he said the team is hoping that Weeden will be the guy, although Heckert also stressed the idea of competition at every spot.