The Browns quarterback competition has dragged through an entire offseason without a definitive answer, and as training camp approaches the question of when Cleveland will finally make a decision is becoming just as interesting as who actually wins the job. Former Browns player Tyvis Powell has been one of the more thoughtful voices weighing in on the situation throughout the summer, and he returned to 92.3 The Fan recently with a specific request for the coaching staff about how this competition should ultimately get resolved.
Powell laid out exactly when he would like a decision to be made about the QB competition.
“Ideally, you would love to have it be solved by now. That would mean that one guy would just be completely blowing one guy away. The fact that it is still going on, it shows that it is 2 guys that are putting their best foot forward. I am hoping after the joint practice against the Bills, they get it done because they get roughly 2, maybe 3, weeks before the season starts. If it is still that close, let them go. Let them go against other teams. Once you make that decision, you just cannot look back.”
The joint practice against the Bills carries will be significant. Cleveland will get its first real look at how both quarterbacks perform against a legitimate outside opponent, with different defensive schemes and personnel they have not spent months practicing against. That kind of environment tends to separate quarterbacks who look good in controlled settings from the ones who can execute when the competition level jumps significantly. If one of them takes a clear step forward against Buffalo, Powell is right that the decision practically makes itself at that point.
His closing point about not looking back once the decision is made is perhaps the most useful piece of advice in the entire statement. Quarterback controversies that linger after a starter has been named are one of the fastest ways to undermine an offense before the regular season even begins.
Browns fans have waited long enough for an answer at the most important position on the field, but they may finally be just days away from having the clarity this roster has needed all offseason.
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