Jackson confident in handing Browns’ QB job to Kizer
If all goes as planned, the T-shirts depicting all of the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterbacks since 1999 won’t need to be updated for a long time, now that DeShone Kizer has been added to the list.
“This is not just for the moment,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said on a conference call Sunday to officially announce Kizer as his starter over Brock Osweiler, Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan. “We’re going to get with DeShone, (and) ride with him through it all.”
Jackson made it clear that Kizer’s installation as starter No. 27 is for the long haul, not just for the short term. After witnessing his dynamic skill set since the day he arrived, Jackson believes the Browns might have landed their franchise quarterback.
“It’s very exciting,” Jackson said. “When we drafted this young man, there was a purpose in drafting him. We thought that he had exactly what we were looking for. I give the executive team a lot of credit. We all dove into this the right way to go find a guy who hopefully can solve our quarterback issue.”
Jackson knows that Kizer, the No. 52 overall pick out of Notre Dame, will suffer from the inevitable rookie growing pains in the form of interceptions, unnecessary sacks and errant throws, and that the team might feel the pinch at times, too. But the coach believes in the potential payoff.
“Those things are going to happen,” Jackson said. “We’re not going to blink about it. We’re just going to correct it and keep moving forward. He’s still a young quarterback but with a lot of talent. The only way he’s going to gain that experience is by playing.”
Kizer is to take the field against the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers in the Sept. 10 opener.
Jackson said the rookie “has earned the right to play through his preparation. He’s established a work ethic that has earned the respect of his teammates. It will afford him the ability to (run the) offense as we move forward, which hopefully will lead to success.”
As for the backup job, Jackson acknowledged that it’s fluid. The Browns still might try to trade Osweiler, who is making $16 million guaranteed this year, and Hogan has outplayed Kessler in the preseason and could leapfrog him. But Hogan also could land on the practice squad again.
Jackson will also decide by Tuesday or Wednesday whether Kizer will play Thursday night in Chicago in the preseason finale, when most starters rest. If Kizer plays, he’ll probably get only a series or two.
Chiefs lose top running back
The Kansas City Chiefs are preparing to play this season without No. 1 running back Spencer Ware, who suffered a torn posterior cruciate ligament and other damage to his right knee in Friday night’s preseason game in Seattle. The Chiefs think that Ware, who ran for 921 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games last season, will require season-ending surgery.
Coach Andy Reid said third-round draft pick Kareem Hunt will start in the regular-season opener Sept. 7 at New England. Charcandrick West and C.J. Spiller probably will serve as backups.
Bills down to one quarterback
T.J. Yates, the Buffalo Bills’ third-string quarterback, is being evaluated for a concussion, leaving the team with just one healthy QB — fifth-round draft pick Nathan Peterman — entering the final week of the preseason.
Yates finished a 13-9 exhibition loss at Baltimore on Saturday, and coach Sean McDermott said he wasn’t sure when the quarterback was injured.
Earlier in the game, Buffalo starter Tyrod Taylor suffered a concussion when the back of his helmet bounced hard off the turf while being sacked by the Ravens’ Matthew Judon.