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Come Fan with UsTuesday, August 4, 2026

DeShone Kizer is the Browns’ starter again. Maybe even for both halves in Week 8!

The revolving door at quarterback continues for the Browns.

NFL: Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans
NFL: Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Jeanna Kelley
Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.

The Browns will go back to DeShone Kizer as the team’s Week 8 starter. After benching Kizer for the second time in three games over turnovers, Hue Jackson has once again given the rookie the nod to start this week, Jackson announced Wednesday morning.

He might even get to play the second half this week! But we’ll see.

Both Kizer and Kevin Hogan have gotten starts for the Browns so far in this 0-7 season, but turnovers pushed Jackson to consider looking elsewhere. Cody Kessler came into the game and went 10 of 19 for 121 yards and one interception in the Browns’ 12-9 loss to the Titans.

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What can we expect from DeShone Kizer? Kizer was understood to be a raw prospect when he was drafted by the Browns in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft. Still, he won the starting job in the preseason.

He has not played well, but it’s not all Kizer’s fault. He doesn’t have much offensive talent around him, and he’s taken 12 sacks so far this season. Still, his stat line is pretty uninspiring; Kizer has completed 52 percent of his passes for 965 yards. His biggest issue is turnovers. Kizer has thrown just three touchdowns against 11 interceptions.

Kizer needs time to develop, and he’ll get that luxury in real game action. but Kizer’s development isn’t Jackson’s biggest concern.

“I can’t worry about confidence,” Jackson said. “You guys keep talking about confidence. We are in the business of winning games.”

And Jackson has decided Kizer currently gives the team the best shot at finally getting a victory this season.

What happened to Kevin Hogan? Hogan won the starting job after taking over for a benched Kizer in Week 5. Hogan promptly threw three interceptions, and Kizer was back under center the following week.

The Browns don’t have enough talent to turn the ball over that much. While Jackson’s approach to the quarterback position does raise some questions, Kizer and Hogan’s propensity to give the ball to opponents does make it much more difficult for the Browns to win games.

Where the heck is Cody Kessler? Kessler looked like Cleveland’s most stable quarterback last year when he was healthy. He finished the 2016 season with 1,380 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions over eight starts. Two concussions limited his ability to be on the field, but he still showed promise. He may still get his shot this season if Kizer underperforms.

The Browns quarterback saga is far from settled.

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