AURORA: Cody Kessler will begin organized team activities Tuesday as the first-string quarterback, but that doesn’t mean he’ll receive the most tutoring from coach Hue Jackson.
Actually, Jackson suggested Monday he’ll likely be more focused on trying to help rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer get up to speed.
“The first day, you might see the young guy with me the whole time,” Jackson said during the Cleveland Browns Foundation Golf Tournament at Barrington Golf Club. “... When I’m talking about the young guy, I’m talking about DeShone because I want to make sure I have my hand on him as much as I can.”
Jackson has said he won’t prevent Kizer from starting right away if the second-round draft pick (No. 52 overall) from Notre Dame proves he’s ready. But Kizer needs to develop in a hurry to have a realistic shot, and Jackson obviously knows that.
In the meantime, Kessler, a third-round pick in last year’s draft, will enter OTAs in the driver’s seat to start the Sept. 10 regular-season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers and attempt to fight off Kizer, Brock Osweiler and Kevin Hogan in what Jackson has dubbed an “open” competition.
“Cody’s going to walk out there first, and he’s got to keep that job,” Jackson said. “He’s got to do everything the right way in order to continue to lead the first team. The other guys will get opportunities as well, and I think that’s the way you have to do this if it’s a competition.”
Two weeks ago, Jackson said he wouldn’t necessarily label Osweiler the No. 2 quarterback. On Monday, he said the order behind Kessler won’t be “by rotation.”
“I don’t do it by number,” Jackson said. “I have to do it by feel.”
Help on the way?
Speaking of quarterbacks, Colin Kaepernick is still a free agent, and the Browns continue to insist they’re not finished looking for help this offseason.
“I won’t go there and say that it’s the quarterback position [where we’re not done] because I think we have four bodies here,” Jackson said. “We drafted a guy we feel good about [in Kizer]. I think that’s probably everywhere else [where we’re not done].
“Now, I’m not shutting the door on Colin. I don’t want anyone to think we’re anti-Colin or anything like that. That’s not the case. I just think right now we have four guys that are vying for an opportunity to be our quarterback that we feel good about.”
Jackson also politely said the Browns weren’t pursuing Kaepernick in March at the NFL owners meetings. Head of football operations Sashi Brown said May 5 it would be a “surprise” if the Browns added another quarterback this offseason.
But what about the team’s need at wide receiver?
Jackson also was asked whether free-agent wide receiver Victor Cruz is an option.
“We’ve had discussions about any player that’s out there, not just Victor, but all of them and see if they fit,” Jackson said. “You know, we’re a young football team, and we’re probably more young at the position, but eventually if we feel like a guy can help us, we’ll continue to explore those opportunities.”
No surgery needed?
The Browns announced cornerback Howard Wilson would undergo surgery on the fractured kneecap he suffered May 12 during rookie minicamp, but NFL Network reported nearly a week later the fourth-round pick won’t need surgery after all.
So what is Wilson’s status?
“I think we all know he suffered a significant injury and obviously he was looked at, and maybe right now [surgery is] not what’s needed,” Jackson said. “But he’s going to miss some time. I think we all know that. It’s not like he’s going to walk back out there anytime soon. We’re going to let the doctors take care of that and keep advising us on what’s right and what’s the right thing to do with him and for him.”
In other words, the Browns will likely wait to see how Wilson’s injury heals on its own before making a final decision on whether it’ll require surgery. Last season, they took a similar wait-and-see approach with the broken left shoulder of former Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III, who avoided surgery.
Plan for new guy
Jackson confirmed free-agent acquisition Jason McCourty will begin practicing with the Browns as a cornerback but will “get an opportunity to” play free safety, too.
“McCourty could end up playing nickel, he could play corner, he could play safety,” Jackson said. “Our job is to make sure we find the best four guys to put out there.”
By the time the season starts, Jackson doesn’t want McCourty to be a wild card.
“I would like for him to have a position,” Jackson said.
McCourty said last week he’s open to moving to free safety.
Cleared in case
Jackson said he’s excited the state attorney’s office in Gainesville, Fla., dismissed a battery complaint against rookie defensive tackle Caleb Brantley, who had been accused of punching a woman in the face April 13 outside a bar before the Browns drafted him in the sixth round.
“We can’t put ourselves in those positions where we could have something said about us that’s embarrassing or something that’s going to give the organization a black eye, so that’s been discussed with him,” Jackson said. “I think he understands that. Hopefully that’s the end of that.
“Those are not things we want to be a part of, but if we feel like things didn’t happen the way that people say they did, then we have to obviously give that player an opportunity. But it’s not something we want to be doing as we continue to move forward.”
Hang in there
Jackson has explained on several occasions he’s motivated to help left tackle Joe Thomas reach the playoffs for the first time, and he singled out the 10-time Pro Bowl selection as he spoke to a crowd before the golf event.
“I’d be remiss if I didn’t say, ‘Joe Thomas, thank you for always being a big part of everything we’ve done, keep pushing and we’re going to get there. I promise you that,’ ” Jackson said.
Later, Thomas said, “If it gives anybody on the team a little bit of motivation, I’m happy to be that guy. But for me, I never kind of look at it from that perspective, so I’m always just trying to do everything I can to help the team win.”
Extra points
• Christian Kirksey had a breakout season in 2016 as an inside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, and now he expects to play weakside linebacker in the 4-3 base defense of new Browns coordinator Gregg Williams. “I know Gregg,” said Kirksey, who played outside linebacker in college. “He knows what he’s doing on his defense. He knows the best spot to put me, so I’ll be ready to just play wherever he wants me to play.”
• The Browns have made it known they want to extend the contract of Kirksey, who’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March. He said it’s good to be wanted and he hopes to stay with the team. “Yeah, I love Cleveland,” Kirksey said. “Cleveland’s a good city.”
• Thomas views Shon Coleman, a third-round pick in last year’s draft, as the front-runner to start at right tackle. “He’s got all of the ability to do it,” Thomas said. “But there’s just a matter of going out there and proving that he can because he hasn’t had a lot of NFL action yet, and there is a difference between showing in practice you can do it and being able to show in a game you can do it. So I think the jury is still out, but he’s definitely the favorite.”
• Starting running back Isaiah Crowell signed his tender as a restricted free agent on May 10, but whether he’ll report to the team for voluntary OTAs remains to be seen. “Some people are going to be here. They need to be here. We’ll see,” Jackson said when asked if Crowell will show.
• The golf outing raised money and awareness for education and youth development in Northeast Ohio, the mission of the Cleveland Browns Foundation. “Education is a big part of our platform,” Browns owner Dee Haslam said to the crowd. “... We just really appreciate all of you participating today and helping the cause [to] keep kids engaged in school.”
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.