Every Cleveland Browns starting quarterback since 1999 ranked
By Chad Porto
The last of the Pro Bowlers
The only Pro Bowler gets his own page.
3. Derek Anderson (34)
Derek Anderson spent four years in Cleveland and didn’t have consistent success. His Browns record was 16-18 over four years, but he did have one magical year that makes up for everything else. During the 2007 season, Anderson went 10-5 in relief of Charlie Frye and guided the team to only their second winning season since 1999.
During that lone year, he had 29 touchdowns, 19 interceptions, and 3,787 yards. It was a great season and Anderson even earned a Pro Bowl visit. Yet, this was still Cleveland and Anderson did all this greatness with the specter of a rookie Brady Quinn hanging over his head.
Despite playing alright in his follow-up season, Anderson was benched in week 10 against the Broncos for Quinn. They would only win one more time that whole year, ending the year with a 4-12 record due to coach mismanagement and pressure from the higher-ups to play Quinn.
This desire to pit Quinn against Anderson bleed into 2009 as well and both men again failed to find consistency in the offense, having to split first-team reps with one another. Anderson would show that he’s still game, even as late as 2014, when he relieved an injured Cam Newton with some success.
Had Anderson had the full support of the Browns organization, it’s entirely possible that he would’ve found his footing again, bounced back, and maybe been the last quarterback to start for the Browns before they acquired Baker Mayfield.