Browns Tap Rookie Kizer As Starting QB Against Tampa Bay Over Osweiler

CLEVELAND, OH — The Cleveland Browns have tapped rookie QB DeShone Kizer as their starter against Tampa Bay on Saturday for the team’s third preseason game. He’ll get the nod over veteran Brock Osweiler and is likely to keep the job when the season opens on Sept. 10 against Pittsburgh.

Coach Hue Jackson said that Kizer has made a lot of progress and taken the time to learn the team’s offense. He’s also been effective in moving the Brown’s offense in the first two preseason games, completing 19 of 31 passes for 258 yards and touchdown and rushing for 47 yards and touchdown.

“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,” Jackson said in statement this morning. (To stay up to date on local stories, subscribe to the Patch Cleveland newsletter. As news breaks and the story develops, you will be the first to receive updates from Patch.)

If Kizer, a second-round pick out of Notre Dame, does win the job as QB against Pittsburgh, he will become the team’s 27th quarterback to start for the Browns since 1999.

Image by David Richard/Associated Press