BEREA: The regular-season opener just became a whole lot more dramatic for the Browns because they’ll face the rookie quarterback they essentially traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in April.
On Monday, Eagles coach Doug Pederson named Carson Wentz his starting quarterback for Sunday’s Week 1 game against the Browns at Lincoln Financial Field.
Eight days before the draft, the Browns traded the second overall pick to the Eagles, who used the selection to take Wentz out of North Dakota State. The Browns moved down from No. 2 to No. 8 and received picks in the third and fourth rounds this year, a first-round selection next year and a second-round choice in 2018. They later traded down from No. 8 to No. 15, where they chose wide receiver Corey Coleman.
In July, Browns chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta told ESPN Cleveland WKNR (850-AM) the organization passed on Wentz despite its need for a franchise quarterback because the new regime didn’t project him to become a top-20 quarterback in the NFL.
“Even though you have a desperate need for one, you have to resist the temptation of taking that guy just because you have a need if you don’t believe he’s one of those 20 guys at the end of the day,” DePodesta said during the interview with the team’s radio partner. “I think that’s the hardest part, just maintaining your discipline because you have the need. That’s what we did this year.”
Careful not to provide the Eagles with bulletin-board material Monday, coach Hue Jackson only said “we went another direction” when asked why the Browns didn’t draft Wentz.
On Tuesday morning, Jackson was asked about DePodesta’s comment on Pro Football Talk Live.
“We didn’t draft Carson Wentz because we didn’t think it was the right fit for our team at this time,” Jackson said. “There’s nothing more to it. Obviously, that will make for great debate in the media, and that’s fine. Our singular focus right now is just preparing to face the Eagles.”
The Eagles obviously have a higher opinion of him. They traded quarterback Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday for a 2017 first-round pick and a 2018 conditional fourth-round selection. Wentz was third on the depth chart before the trade, but he has since leapfrogged backup Chase Daniel. Wentz played in just one preseason game and sat out the other three after suffering a hairline fracture in his ribs during the exhibition opener.
“Everybody feels like this kid is ready to go,” Pederson told reporters in Philadelphia. “We drafted him to take on the reins. It’s something now that we’re prepared to do. He’s such a special guy. This stage is not too big for him.
“This is why we drafted [Wentz]. Would an ideal situation be later than sooner? Sure. But right now, where we are, we’ve got a good football team around him. All the pieces are here for him to be successful and us to win some games.”
Meanwhile, Jackson downplayed the matchup.
“I’m more worried about our football team,” Jackson said. “I’m not so much worried about Philadelphia. They have a good team. They have a good defense. I know that for sure. They have good players on offense, and Carson is a very talented young man, but at the same time, it is not going to be about them. It is going to be about us.”
Practice squad adds
The Browns completed their 10-man practice squad by signing the following players Monday: quarterback Kevin Hogan, defensive tackle Gabe Wright, offensive lineman Anthony Fabiano, defensive back Ed Reynolds, cornerback Trey Caldwell, punter Michael Palardy and running back Terrell Watson. They also released guard Kaleb Johnson from the practice squad.
Caldwell is the Browns’ rookie fifth-round pick they cut Sunday.
But Hogan, drafted this year in the fifth round by the Kansas City Chiefs, highlights the list.
“Until we are totally settled [at quarterback] for years to come, it is always important to keep looking and keep evaluating,” Jackson said.
“… We are going to always keep searching. I have always said that, so that is not going to change. I’m happy with the guys we have here, but we always want to continue to extend ourselves that way. We keep taking looks at guys, and we see what the best fit is as you move forward.”
Is Hogan insurance for rookie third-round pick Cody Kessler, who struggled in the preseason?
“It is not an indictment on Cody by any stretch,” Jackson said. “It is just that we have an open spot, and there was a young man out there that we have a history with and wanted to give him an opportunity here.”
Hogan’s history with the Browns is through associate head-coach Pep Hamilton, the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Stanford during Hogan’s freshman and sophomore years there. Hogan also visited team headquarters before the draft.
Figuring it out
Jackson and quarterback Robert Griffin III have said Coleman pressed in two disappointing preseason games. The first-round pick agreed and indicated he’s been thinking too much on the field. He lined up wrong on one play in the exhibition finale.
“I’m a rookie, and I’ve got a big responsibility,” Coleman said. “Just thinking a lot, don’t want to be wrong, just focused on doing the right stuff.”
He dropped a pass early in Monday’s practice and pulled up short when he should have kept running to catch another deep pass in the end zone. The drill was on air (no defense) and came during the brief portion of practice open to media.
“It got a lot better,” Coleman said about the rest of practice. “You’re talking about the drop I had out here on routes on air? I just relaxed, and when it’s time to go and we were going against team and stuff, I picked it up.”
How it happened
Former Denver Broncos punter Britton Colquitt explained why he signed with the Browns on Saturday with the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears also pursuing him.
“They were in the hunt,” Colquitt said. “I think the Packers, they were proud of [their punter]. I think he had a really good preseason game, and they were happy to go with that. And the Bears, it was one of those things that they might have waited till opening day or after opening day, maybe waited till Week 2 because of the way guaranteed contracts go. That’s understandable. But I’m thrilled the way it worked out. It just felt like God was leading us here, and I’m thankful to be here.”
Why did the Broncos cut Colquitt on Tuesday?
“They went with the younger guy [rookie seventh-round pick Riley Dixon], and we had some contract issues and we wanted to do an extension, and some things like that didn’t work out,” said Colquitt, who helped the Broncos win the Super Bowl last season.
“He’s got a big leg and a lot of potential. I think he has a really good future.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.