Perhaps the Browns will find – or maybe it will turn out that they’ve already found – their quarterback like just like their opponent on Sunday at FirstEnergy Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys, have done.
Pressed into duty by an injury to the NFL’s most overrated player, Tony Romo, rookie Dak Prescott has been superb for Dallas, completing 65.2 percent of his passes for nine touchdowns and two interceptions with a quarterback rating of 99.6. He has also rushed for four TDs.
Not bad for a 6-foot-2, 226-pound guy picked in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, at No. 135 overall.
His counterpart at quarterback for the Browns – if there are no setbacks with his concussion problems – will also be a rookie in 6-1, 215-pound Cody Kessler, selected in the third round at No. 93 overall.
The Cowboys – well, actually, owner/general manager/calling-all-the-shots BMOC Jerry Jones, who is the face of the team – like Prescott a whole bunch and think he is the quarterback of the future, if not also the present, even with a healthy Romo.
The Browns like Kessler and the way he’s played this season after also being pressed into duty by injuries to Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown.
The recommended way to find a franchise quarterback is by getting him at the top of the draft. But the overwhelming success of some players taken much later in the draft, such as Tom Brady, Joe Montana and Russell Wilson, are giving players such as Prescott and Kessler the opportunity to be taken seriously and showcase their talents.
We don’t know if Kessler and Prescott will stand the test of time and be the long-term answer for their teams. But we do know that to this point, they’ve done nothing to hurt their chances.
