BEREA: Cody Kessler doesn’t know if he’ll be the starting quarterback of the Browns in the fall, but he has focused this offseason on going deep in hopes of positioning himself to secure the job.
Browns coach Hue Jackson stressed last season his desire for Kessler to improve as a vertical passer. So Kessler worked this offseason in Los Angeles with private quarterbacks coach Tom House on his arm strength and deep-ball accuracy.
“I definitely spent countless hours in the weight room and out on the field and really, really emphasized pushing the ball down field and different things with my mechanics,” Kessler said Tuesday during the second day of the team’s offseason workout program. “Obviously, it has to transition when the bullets start flying, but it’s helped me out a ton, and that’s something I really worked on and had a big emphasis on.
“I continue to work on the short and intermediate game and being comfortable in the pocket moving around, as well as stepping into the throw and getting my back foot under me so you can push the ball down the field more and getting everything you have into the throw instead of falling off.”
The Browns could draft Mitchell Trubisky or another quarterback in the first round April 27. Although a trade for New England Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo or Cincinnati Bengals backup AJ McCarron seems unlikely, Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio didn’t rule out dealing Garoppolo during a pre-draft news conference Tuesday, saying “whatever you think is best for our team for 2017, for that season, then that’s what we’ll do.”
Whatever happens, Kessler wants to give himself the best opportunity to start. Right now, he’s the leader in the clubhouse, but the Browns will surely add a quarterback at some point in next week’s draft, even if it doesn’t happen in the first round.
“You just have to compete, and if you get an opportunity, you have to make the most of it,” Kessler said. “That’s something I’m a firm believer in. You can’t be looking over your shoulder thinking different thoughts. You’ve just go to focus on the moment.
“Last year, I obviously was the third-string guy, and I treated every week as the starter. That’s the same mindset I took this offseason, whether that’s reality Week 1 or not. You have to take that approach. You have to prepare offseason and in-season, week in, week out, as if you’re the starter. That’s the mindset I’ve had. If you don’t, then you won’t be ready.”
No one expected Kessler to start last season, but injuries to former Browns quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown in the first two games forced him to play early. He ended up starting eight games, going 0-8 for a 1-15 team.
Impressive accuracy on throws of 20 yards or less allowed him to produce impressive statistics — a completion percentage of 65.6 and a passer rating of 92.3 with six touchdown passes and two interceptions.
But Jackson repeatedly lamented Kessler’s inability to stretch a defense with a formidable deep ball. After Jackson harped on the point publicly, he pulled Kessler from a Thursday night game in Baltimore during the third quarter with the Browns trailing by six points.
Kessler’s tendency to hold the ball too long was another problem. He took 21 sacks and suffered two concussions.
“There were things I was a little hesitant on,” said Kessler, a third-round pick from the University of Southern California. “Normally, you want to pull the trigger a little faster and get rid of the ball a little faster. But being the first year, I was a little hesitant.
“In no way is that an excuse, but that’s something I saw and said, ‘That’s OK. You got that out of your system. You learned last year what you can do, can’t do and what you have to work on.’ I just watched myself and worked on that this offseason, just trusting the guys, getting the ball out on time, helping the offensive line out, eliminating some of those sacks.”
While Kessler has attempted to transform facets of his game this offseason, the Browns have made significant changes to their stable of quarterbacks.
Griffin and McCown were cut. Brock Osweiler was added in a trade designed to acquire a 2018 second-round pick from the Houston Texans. Osweiler is participating in the Browns’ offseason conditioning program, but they would like to trade him and will probably release him if a deal doesn’t pan out. Kevin Hogan, who threw 26 passes last season as a rookie and didn’t start, is also on the roster.
So Kessler is the only quarterback left on the team with significant experience in Jackson’s offense, and he took more initiative as a leader this offseason. He trained with Browns receivers Corey Coleman, Ricardo Louis and Jordan Payton in Dallas. He met with new Browns center J.C. Tretter in California to review Jackson’s playbook.
Competition is on the way, but Kessler is behaving like a starting quarterback.
“My mindset right now is just go in there and compete and control what I can control,” he said. “And that’s how I work out and watch film, every little detail there is to playing quarterback in this league.”
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.