Cleveland Browns Starting Quarterbacks

Since re-entering the NFL as an expansion team in 1999, the Cleveland Browns have trotted out 31 starting quarterbacks. 31! It’s one of the most remarkable football statistics of the century. The Browns have had very little success since 1999 and quarterback instability is the most significant reason. With Baker Mayfield injured, Case Keenum is #31. He will get the start tonight when the Browns take the field against the Denver Broncos. Keenum will be the next starter on a long list of starters.

The Cleveland Browns Starting Quartebacks

Tim Couch

Ty Detmer

Doug Pederson

Spergon Wynn

Kelly Holcomb

Jeff Garcia

Luke McCown

Trent Dilfer

Charlie Frye

Derek Anderson

Ken Dorsey

Brady Quinn

Bruce Gradkowski

Colt McCoy

Jake Delhomme

Seneca Wallace

Brandon Weeden

Thaddeus Lewis

Jason Campbell

Brian Hoyer

Johnny Manziel

Connor Shaw

Josh McCown

Austin Davis

Robert Griffin III

Cody Kessler

DeShone Kizer

Kevin Hogan

Tyrod Taylor 

Baker Mayfield

Case Keenum

Incredible.

I’ve watched the Minnesota Vikings scramble for their next starting quarterback for most of the past three decades. Three quarterbacks on this list started games for the Vikings. Spergon Wynn, Kelly Holcomb, Case Keenum. Compared to the Browns, the Vikings have seen quarterback stability. 

How many of these quarterbacks actually gave Browns fans hope? You’d probably have to ask a Browns fan. In my opinion the team’s first decision was the wrong decision. I preferred Donovan McNabb and Daunte Culpepper over Tim Couch in the 1999 NFL Draft. 

It’s easy to say now but none of the Browns quarterback decisions were the right decision. 

Derek Anderson is an outlier on the list as he’s one of the few that put together more a string of promising games. The Browns selected Tim Couch, Brady Quinn, Colt McCoy, Brandon Weeden, Johnny Manziel, Cody Kessler, and DeShone Kizer in the early rounds of various drafts. It was Anderson, a sixth-round pick, that had the most promising run for the Browns. 

The Browns once had Joe Thomas, Alex Mack, and Mitchell Schwartz protecting quarterbacks. The Browns have made a lot of stupid decisions since 1999. 31 quarterbacks. One of the most stupid was breaking up an offensive line that included Thomas, Mack, and Schwartz. With those three, I could’ve played guard. The three were together in 2012 and 2013. It should’ve been longer. Mack left in 2014. Schwartz soon followed. 

Hope? In my opinion, Baker Mayfield is the only quarterback decision since 1999 that gave the team anything resembling hope. He’s still a question mark to many. Perhaps even to the Browns. Of course, he has to stay healthy but he has strung together 51 consecutive starts. I like him with Kevin Stefanski. We’ll see. For the sake of all Browns fans, here’s hoping that Mayfield gets healthy, stays healthy, and puts to sleep this quarterback instability. 

Both McCowns started for the Browns. Of course they did.