Though drafting a quarterback in the first round is generally the equivalent of a team handing him the keys and saying, "Here, it's all yours now," the Cleveland Browns aren't entirely ready to anoint Brandon Weeden their starter just yet.
Speaking on ESPN's Mike and Mike on Wednesday, Browns president Mike Holmgren made it clear that Weeden will be competing for the starting job with Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace. Holmgren explained his reasoning thusly:
"I told Weeden, I've never had a player who we were going to draft, as a coach or in my current role, sit in my office prior to the draft and say 'if we pick you, you're the starter.' I've never said that. I don't think it's the right thing to say, because if they're not the starter, then they feel you've lied to them and been dishonest, so I'm not going to do that."
Forget, for a moment, how many times that Holmgren (and general manager Tom Heckert and head coach Pat Shurmur) said in the weeks leading up to the draft that they were banking on McCoy being the starter this year—landing Weeden changes things drastically. But clearly, that doesn't mean that McCoy won't be the guy under center in Week 1, or that Weeden will.
When it comes to the quarterback situation in Cleveland, the most pressing need for the Browns is to get it right. They have three passers on the roster, two of whom have already started in the NFL, and one who hasn't.
Though Weeden appears to have starting talent, if his body of work at Oklahoma State is any indicator, the Browns utilize a fairly difficult version of the West Coast offense, and it's hard to master. If Weeden doesn't progress as quickly as hoped, then the Browns will have no other choice than to go with McCoy or even Wallace this year, as they already have experience playing in the system.
The important thing with Weeden is to throw conventional wisdom out the window ("First-round picks must always start in their first season,") and allow the Browns to do what is best for both him and the team. If Weeden doesn't win the starting job this year, that doesn't mean he won't in the next, after he's had a full season to learn the nuances of the playbook.
It's about the best man for the job, at the right time. There's no way for Holmgren et al., to figure this out without the three quarterbacks competing against and being directly evaluated against one another.
Many may argue that there's no sense in keeping Weeden on the bench for a year; he's 28 years old now and turns 29 in October, and the window for him to be an effective quarterback is far smaller than other rookies in his situation.
Holmgren, however, doesn't see this as such a pressing issue, saying, "Because of his age, you kind of think 'okay, (Weeden) can't sit and watch for two or three years, that doesn't make any sense.' But he's got to prove it. He has to prove it like every other player we have and that's how we're approaching it."
There's no reason for Weeden to be the starter this year simply because of his age. There's no reason to panic—he's not an old man at 28, and he won't be at 30.
It's not as though he's been playing quarterback, taking hit after hit and being worn down like someone who has been under center for the last 10 years. He's got many seasons left in him, and it's better that he becomes the starter when he's ready and not because his age dictates he must go in now.
If Weeden proves to be the best quarterback the Browns have on the roster, he'll be the starter; if not, he won't. The best thing for Weeden is for him to take the field when he's ready to do so, not just because he was a first-round pick.
The only way to find out if he can do the job he was drafted to do is to see how he measures up against the two other quarterbacks on the Browns roster. Whichever way they choose to go will ultimately be the best way; and that works in both Cleveland's and Weeden's favor.
Steve Garrison Phil Hughes Damaso Marte Mariano Rivera Kerry Wood Francisco Cervelli
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