DeShone Kizer’s a rookie, but he’s already learned that Joe Thomas knows a thing or two about football.
So when the veteran left tackle said that it looked like the Browns were grooming Brock Osweiler to start at quarterback and that Kizer might not be ready for that role yet, Kizer ultimately agreed. Thomas did say the second-rounder was showing good progress, and Kizer was willing to latch onto that as well.
“He’s been in the NFL since I’ve been in seventh grade, so whatever he says is probably pretty accurate,’' Kizer said, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “Obviously, it’s still the same message that I continue to push. The more time you have, the more comfortable you become, the more confident you are throwing the ball, and he’s just seconding that statement.’'
For the moment, Kizer is behind Osweiler in the pecking order, at least for Monday night’s preseason game against the Giants. That could continue to be the case into the regular season, as the consensus seems to be that Kizer could use a bit of time. Browns coach Hue Jackson has made no secret of that, telling Kizer since he arrived that he was a work in progress, and that they weren’t in a hurry to skip a step.
“This is a process that has been preached to me from day one how this is going to go,” Kizer said. “When they’re ready and I’m ready, I can trust in the fact that the coach is going to put me out there. So as long as I can continue to trust in them, which I will, there isn’t really a timeline for myself. I’m just trying to get better every day and allow coach Jackson to make the calls.”
So far, the call is that Kizer’s their No. 2, which at least puts him ahead of Cody Kessler.
