Mar. 17—Time will tell whether the Browns stable of quarterbacks will win games consistently. There is no debate that they all can be elusive in the pocket or take off and run with the ball.
The Browns on March 17 agreed to terms on a one-year contract with former Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley.
Huntley backed up Lamar Jackson for four seasons in Baltimore and posted a 3-6 record as a starter. He has thrown eight career touchdown passes and seven interceptions.
Huntley was 1-2 in three games against the Browns. He completed 44 of 68 passes against them for 408 yards with one touchdown pass and one interception. He carried the ball 14 times for 68 yards in those three games.
Huntley is the second quarterback signed by the Browns within a seven-day span. Last week, they signed Jameis Winston to a one-year contract to back up Deshaun Watson. Winston — a Heisman Trophy winner from Florida State — was chosen by the Buccaneers with the first pick of the 2015 draft.
The unofficial depth chart in the quarterback room in Berea reads Watson, Winston, Huntley and Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The Browns certainly won't keep four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster once the season starts. Either DTR or Huntley could end up on the practice squad.
New offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey likes big quarterbacks that can run, which is not to suggest Dorsey influenced the decision to sign Huntley. At 6-foot-1, Huntley doesn't check off the "big quarterback" box, anyway, but he can move with the ball. He has 115 career carries for 509 yards and three touchdowns.
To put that in perspective, Joe Flacco, who led the Browns to the 2023 playoffs with four straight wins in December, carried the ball a total of 110 times over the last nine seasons.
Mobility are key assets for Watson and Winston, too.
The Browns have yet to explain why they signed Winston instead of re-signing Flacco, who signed with the Colts one day after the Browns agreed to terms with Winston).
Winston's threat as a runner could have played a factor. Winston has 298 career carries for 1,214 yards and 11 touchdowns.