The Browns have been searching for a franchise quarterback for a long time, and that search continued during this year’s draft, when the club nabbed Notre Dame signal-caller DeShone Kizer with the No. 52 overall selection. We heard several weeks ago that Cleveland is open to having Kizer start right away if he performs well in training camp and in the preseason, and since he has far and away the most upside of any QB currently on the roster, the club certainly hopes he earns the starting job sooner rather than later.

But as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, second-year player Cody Kessler, whom the Browns selected in the third round of the 2016 draft, currently sits atop the Browns’ depth chart, and the starting QB job is his to lose. Head coach Hue Jackson said, “They have to take it from [Kessler]. They better take it from him because I know him — he is not going to give it up. It will be fun. That is what competition is all about. Until someone takes something from someone and shows that they can do it at a high level play in and play out, then we have to keep going in the direction where we’re traveling.” 

Kessler performed reasonably well in nine games for the club last year, and Jackson said back in October that the USC product was one of the best rookie quarterbacks he had ever coached. It therefore makes sense that Kessler would get the early opportunity to take control of the starting job, but Jackson also made it clear that there will be an open competition among Kessler, Kizer, Brock Osweiler, and Kevin Hogan.

Jackson said that all four players will have the opportunity to take first-team reps, and he unsurprisingly sounded the most pessimistic about Osweiler, whom the Browns acquired from Houston as part of a salary dump in order to take the Texans’ second-round selection in this year’s draft. Jackson said, “Brock is learning our system and learning the things that we do at the position. I think the other guys have done it. They have been through the process with me and understand how to play. That doesn’t mean that he can’t have an opportunity to exceed or succeed anybody” (interestingly, Kizer, like Osweiler, has not yet “been through the process” with Jackson either, so that statement could suggest just how little the team values Osweiler).

In any event, the training camp battle to watch will be Kessler v. Kizer, though Kizer will almost inevitably get his shot at some point in the near future.

Cody Kessler has been one of the few bright spots in yet another disappointing season for the Browns. In three full games and part of a fourth, the USC product has completed over 65% of his passes for 865 yards, throwing for four touchdowns against just one interception. Cleveland did not win any of the games in which Kessler appeared, but in the three games that he started and finished, the Browns have at least been competitive. His 93.8 QB rating is 14th in the league.

Kessler’s surprising emergence has led many to wonder if the Browns, who were widely expected to draft a signal-caller with one of their two first-round selections in the 2017 draft, might be better-served by investing that capital in other positions (although such a decision would surely fuel more Carson Wentz-esque controversy). As one opposing coach told Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “Kessler can be the long-term answer for the Browns if he continues to get better. [Head coach] Hue Jackson is doing a great job with him just like he did with Andy Dalton and others.”

Indeed, Jackson’s reputation as something of a quarterback whisperer is leading to the growing belief that Kessler, whom the Browns unexpectedly selected in the third-round of the 2016 draft, could be the team’s long-awaited solution under center. Jackson’s own comments have contributed to that perception. Cleveland’s head coach said Kessler, “is one of the better rookie quarterbacks I’ve coached. I’ve had some real good rookies before, Joe Flacco, to name one, and I’m sure I have had some others, but he’s done an outstanding job.”

Jackson went on to say Kessler is so impressive “because I’ve seen him do things that we did not even ask other rookies to do on different kind of teams. He’s playing well. He’s growing every week. He’s seen a lot in his young career in the National Football League. For that experience, he’ll be better as he continues to move forward.”

Kessler has also impressed his veteran teammates. Wideout Andrew Hawkins said, “What stands out about Cody is his ability to command the huddle. He has a great grasp of the offense. For such a young guy, that’s kind of rare.” All-Pro left tackle Joe Thomas, who has protected a parade of mediocrity during his time in Cleveland, added, “He’s done a tremendous job. He’s surprised a lot of people. As a leader, as a quarterback, those intangibles that you need to have, he has those intangibles to be a great quarterback in the NFL.”

Jackson, though, is predictably keeping quiet when it comes to how Kessler’s performance–even if he continues playing well through the end of the season–will impact next year’s draft plans. “I don’t know that anybody will affect the draft plans,” Jackson said. “I don’t think we’ll talk about those until the season is over. We’re going to always do everything we can to better our football team as we move forward.”

That makes sense, of course, but the fact that Jackson is even being asked those types of questions is encouraging news for Browns fans, who need as much encouragement as they can get.

Browns quarterback Cody Kessler missed most of the team’s 33-13 loss to the Patriots last Sunday after departing in the first quarter with a rib injury, but the rookie will return to the lineup in Week 6. Head coach Hue Jackson announced Thursday that Kessler will start Sunday against the Titans.

“Cody Kessler practiced full. I think he’s ready to go,” said Jackson (via Patrick Maks of the team’s website).

Had Kessler not progressed this week, it’s unclear who would have started in Tennessee. The status of Josh McCown, whose Week 2 broken collarbone opened the door for Kessler, is up in the air as Sunday approaches. The only other signal-caller on the roster is rookie Kevin Hogan, whom the team promoted from the practice squad when it released veteran Charlie Whitehurst on Tuesday.

Despite beginning the year third behind the now-injured Robert Griffin III and McCown on Cleveland’s depth chart, Kessler has fared well during his initial NFL action. The third-round pick from USC has completed 54 of 81 passes (66.7 percent) for 529 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in starts against the Dolphins, Redskins and Patriots. The Browns lost each of those games and have begun a league-worst 0-5, and now the Kessler-led club will try to break into the win column against the 2-3 Titans.