As draft week arrives, much can be learned from a run through the quarterbacks the Browns think they will face in 2018, and the backups who might wind up playing against them.
The commish will open the draft meeting Thursday night at 8, Berea time (7 o'clock Jerry Jones time) in Arlington, Texas.
John Dorsey will have 10 minutes to make a little drama out of the Browns' pick at No. 1 overall.
If it's a quarterback, he will back up the 180th pick of the 2011 draft (Tyrod Taylor) as the 2018 schedule begins to play out. Taylor is unique among QBs he stands to face during the just-released 2018 schedule.
He was drafted to be a backup, and that's what he was for four years in Baltimore. When he left in free agency, his Buffalo prospects were commensurate with his modest contract (three years, $3.35 million).
His new head coach, Rex Ryan, liked what he saw and elevated him over 2013 first-round pick EJ Manuel and veteran Matt Cassel. He played his way into bigger money but did not do enough to stay, going 22-20, and was traded to Cleveland.
Where does this new Browns QB world fit into the NFL landscape? A good perspective can be gleaned from a run through the Cleveland schedule. How long did it take for opponents' QBs to become their teams' starters? How many were drafted to be "the man"?
Let's take a look.
Sept. 9, home to Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger was the third QB taken in 2004, at No. 11 overall, behind Eli Manning (No. 1) and Philip Rivers (No. 4). "Big Ben" was supposed to sit indefinitely, but 33-year-old Tommy Maddox tore up an elbow in Game 2 against the Ravens. Roethlisberger took over and never let go. Landry Jones (No. 113 overall, 2013) is the backup.
Sept. 16, at New Orleans. Drew Brees (No. 32 overall, 2001, Chargers) spent all 16 games of his rookie year as Doug Flutie's backup, seeing action in just one game. Brees started in Year 2, going 8-8, but he regressed in Year 3 (2-9), prompting the Chargers to draft Philip Rivers at No. 4 overall in 2004. Rivers sat and watched in 2004 and 2005 before Brees was dealt to the Saints in '06. Brees, 39, is 112-78 for New Orleans. Tom Savage is his backup, for now.
Sept. 20, home to the Jets. Ancient Josh McCown, injured Teddy Bridgewater (No. 32 overall, 2014) and enigmatic Christian Hackenberg (No. 51 overall, 2016) are Jets QBs who want to know if Baker Mayfield is about to arrive as the No. 3 overall pick Thursday night.
Sept. 30, at Oakland. Derek Carr (No. 36 overall, 2014) played from Day 1, over Matt Schaub and Matt McGloin, and was 0-4 when head coach Dennis Allen got fired. He went 3-9 the rest of his rookie year under Tony Sparano. Since then, he is 7-9, 12-3 and 6-9 and has gone back to quarterback school with Jon Gruden. Connor Cook (No. 100 overall, 2016) is the top backup.
Oct. 7, vs. Baltimore. Joe Flacco (No. 18 overall, 2008) went 11-5 as a rookie, ahead of Troy Smith and Todd Bouman, with Hue Jackson as his position coach. Flacco reached the playoffs in his first five seasons, winning a Super Bowl, before regressing.
Oct. 14, vs. Los Angeles Chargers. Rivers threw a grand total of 30 passes in his first two seasons. When he finally got his chance with Brees gone in 2006, he went 14-2 but played poorly in a playoff loss, after which head coach Marty Schottenheimer got fired.
Oct. 21, at Tampa Bay. Jameis Winston (No. 1 overall, 2015) started immediately as a rookie and kept the job despite four sacks against the Browns in preseason Game 3. His records have been 6-10, 9-7 and 3-10.
Oct. 28, at Pittsburgh. Former Browns starter DeShone Kizer (No. 52 overall, 2017) came close in a 21-18 loss to the Steelers in his first NFL start. Doesn't that suggest the veteran Taylor at least has a chance?
Nov. 4, vs. Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes (No. 10 overall, 2017) didn't play a down behind Alex Smith through the first 15 games of his rookie year. He started the season finale (27-24 win) and has the reins now that Smith is in Washington. Veteran Chad Henne is the top backup.
Nov. 11, vs. Atlanta. Matt Ryan (No. 3 overall, 2008) started every game as a rookie and went 11-5 a year after the Falcons were 4-12 with Joey Harrington, Chris Redman and Byron Leftwich at QB. Ryan has missed two starts in 10 years and owns a 95-63 record.
Nov. 25, at Cincinnati. Andy Dalton (No. 35 overall, 2011) started from Day 1 as a rookie and went 9-7, a year after the Bengals were 4-12 behind 2003 No. 1 overall pick Carson Palmer. Dalton has missed three starts in seven years and has a 63-44 record.
Dec. 2, at Houston. Deshaun Watson (No. 12 overall, 2017) replaced Tom Savage during Game 1 last year and was the starter for Game 2. He blew out a knee at Seattle, ending a five-game hot streak in which he led the Texans to 195 points. Brandon Weeden (No. 22 overall, 2012, Browns) is the top backup.
Dec. 9, vs. Carolina. Cam Newton (No. 1 overall, 2011) stepped right in as the starter, went 6-10 and 7-9 in his first two years, and is 49-26-1 since then. He has missed only four starts, all covered by ex-Brown Derek Anderson, who is not back after seven years with the Panthers. Garrett Gilbert is the new top backup.
Dec. 15, at Denver. Case Keenum (undrafted in 2012) is the new starter after going 11-3 for the Vikings in 2017. Josh Allen observers wonder whether he will be a big-bodied QB along the lines of Carson Wentz (No. 2 overall, 2016) or Paxton Lynch (No. 26 overall, 2016). The latter is Keenum's backup, with a 1-3 record as a starter through two seasons.
Dec. 23, vs. Cincinnati. Heading into the draft, in which the Bengals' top pick is at No. 21, Matt Barkley is Dalton's new backup.
Dec. 30, at Baltimore. We're saying there's a chance Robert Griffin III (No. 2 overall, 2012) could be playing a season finale against the Browns, two years after he started for Cleveland in a season finale against Pittsburgh. For now, RG3 is Flacco's top backup.
Reach Steve at 330-580-8347 or
steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com
On Twitter: @sdoerschukREP