All 34 Cleveland Browns Starting Quarterbacks Since 1999, Ranked Worst to Best
The good, the bad and the ugly all show up on the rankings of all 34 quarterbacks to have started a game for the Cleveland Browns since the franchise returned for the 1999 season.
26. Austin Davis
Austin Davis showed enough as a rookie with the Rams in 2014 that the Browns brought him on board to compete for the QB job in 2015. It was already a pretty big red flag that he didn’t see the field until injuries gave him the opportunity in Week 12 though.
And once he was starting, things were pretty rough.
Davis ended up getting two starts down the stretch (Week 13 and Week 17), and we lost those games 37-7 and 28-12.
The coaching staff really let Davis air it out (attempting 84 passes), but completed just 48% for 470 yards with no touchdowns and 3 interceptions.
The big bright spot was for fantasy football managers relying on Gary Barnidge, since Barnidge had 5 receptions for 59 yards in one game and 8 receptions for 66 yards in the other. Pretty good if you’re in a point-per-reception league.
25. Jake Delhomme
Jake Delhomme wasn't exactly considered a top-tier starting quartebrack when he led the Carolina Pantehrs to a Super Bowl appearance, but things went way downhill once he left Carolina.
A 35-year-old Delhomme was our Week 1 starter in 2010 before getting hurt, going 20/37 for 227 yards with 1 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in that debut, then things got much worse when he returned.
He returned to the starting lineup from Week 12 through Week 14, and while we did win two of those three games, Delhomme contributed just 1 touchdown to 3 interceptions in that stretch.
24. Tyrod Taylor
Tyrod Taylor came to Cleveland after stringing together three very serviceable years as the Buffalo Bills' starter, even making a Pro Bowl.
I love Taylor's game, and if this was just a ranking of the quality of quarterback these guys were over their whole careers I'd have him much higher on the list. But even I can't argue with the results when he started for the Browns.
Taylor's Week 3 injury paved the way for No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield to take over the starting job, but Taylor's play was going to let that happen soon anyway.
Taylor was just 41-of-84 passing (48.8%) with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions over the three starts. He contributed 125 yards and 1 touchdown with his legs, but he also lost another 81 yards on sacks, so that was a bit of a wash.
On the plus side, the Week 1 tie he orchestrated against the Steelers did snap our 17-game losing streak.