The Cleveland Browns have a crowded and talented quarterback room, which could lead to Tyler Huntley being on the move ahead of the season.
The Browns surprisingly signed Huntley this offseason, adding him to a roster that already includes Deshaun Watson, Jameis Winston and Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Both Watson and Thompson-Robinson are returning from season-ending injuries and Huntley gives the Browns another arm to work with during offseason workouts.
That being said, Huntley has some credentials as a valuable backup. Huntley started some games for the Ravens when reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson was banged up. He joined the Ravens as an undrafted rookie from Utah in 2020 and has a record of 3-6 as the starter.
Overall, Huntley has completed 64.6% of his passes for 1,957 yards, with 8 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He has a career quarterback rating of 79.0. Huntley is a dual threat, adding 509 yards and 3 more touchdowns on the ground.
Huntley is unlikely to earn a roster spot with the Browns. However, he could be on the radar as potential trade bait before the start of the year, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
“The Browns also went into the spring with four quarterbacks last season, and will need all of the QB reps they can get, especially with Thompson-Robinson and Deshaun Watson (fractured shoulder) coming off of injuries,” Cabot wrote in her latest Q&A column. “I think the Browns really like Thompson-Robinson as a developmental QB, and will try to keep him around. Perhaps someone will offer them a draft pick for Huntley like the Cardinals did last year for Joshua Dobbs.”
Browns QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson Ready to Get Back on Field
Part of the reason Huntley was signed was that the team was unsure how much Thompson-Robinson could contribute during offseason workouts. However, it sounds like DTR is ahead of schedule in his return from a hip injury.
“I’d say probably March (there was a turning point),” Thompson-Robinson told Cabot on May 4. “I got another MRI. And so from there, things looked a lot better. We kind of started ramping it up from there, but I’m just super excited back on Monday.”
Thompson-Robinson had an eventful rookie season after being selected in the fifth round by the Browns. He was thrust into the backup role and started in Week 4 when Watson was out with a shoulder injury.
Thompson-Robinson was also named the starter after Watson was ruled out for the year with a separate shoulder injury. In all, Thompson-Robinson went 1-2 as the starter, completing 53.6% of his passes for 440 yards, 1 touchdown and 4 interceptions.
Deshaun Watson Feeling Good About Week 1 Return
The Browns are hoping the backup quarterback conversation won’t be as prominent this season as it was a year ago. Cleveland started five different passers last season with Watson dealing with injuries.
Watson is confident he’ll be on the field for the Browns’ opener.
“I’ll be better than I was before in Week 1,” Watson told reporters on April 5. “I’m very confident in the roles of the doctors. Dr. [Neal] ElAttrache and his team, following their lead, just all the research that I’ve done. And then just my work and preparation. I’ve put my whole life into this. I want to make sure I come back even better than before.”
Watson has played in just 12 games over two seasons with the Browns. He’s passed for 2,217 yards, 14 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in those contests.
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