Browns rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer has been named the starter for Saturday’s preseason game against the Buccaneers, the strongest indication yet that he’s the favorite to be the starter when the regular season begins.
Browns coach Hue Jackson said he’s very pleased with everything Kizer is doing, and believes Kizer can start in the regular season as well, although he stopped short of saying Kizer will get the job permanently.
“He has made a lot of progress by investing the time necessary to learn our offense, working hard to improve on his fundamentals while also effectively moving the offense in preseason games,” Jackson said. “Development is so important for a young quarterback, this is the next step he needs to take and he deserves this opportunity. We are very excited about seeing DeShone in the role of starter for this week, as he is certainly positioning himself well to earn the starting job heading into the regular season.”
Kizer has played well in the preseason, but it was unclear whether he played well enough to move ahead of Brock Osweiler and Cody Kessler on the depth chart. Now it’s clear that Kizer is the favorite to win the job, and if he plays well this week he’ll start in Week One.