Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor named starter for Cleveland Browns

Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor has already been named the new starter for the Cleveland Browns, and they don’t envision him being just a “bridge” either. At a press conference earlier this week, Browns head coach Hue Jackson said he was very excited Taylor is now a part of their organization and even named him the starting quarterback before having one practice in Cleveland.

“(Taylor) is going to be the starting quarterback. There is no competition,” Jackson said.

Bills GM Brandon Beane said that he appreciates what Taylor brings to a team and that through their one season together he had grown to like and respect the new Browns QB.

“I really hope that’s a great situation for him. I will root for Tyrod the rest of his career, other than when he’s playing [against] the Bills. I think he’s in a good spot,” Beane said. “I thought it was important for us to be fair to him and put him somewhere where they were going to surround him with talent.”

In Jackson’s two seasons as head coach, starting a rookie has proven to be a poor decision, going 0-24 between three rookie signal callers and 1-31 overall. Jackson said that even with Taylor, the team still plans to draft a quarterback this year, although not saying which round they will draft one in.

“This guy is the starting quarterback on our football team. There are no bridge players,” Jackson said. “I see this young man as our quarterback. If we draft somebody who in the future is a better player, that will all take care of itself in time, but he is not a bridge. He is our starting quarterback.”

Jackson also acknowledged that in the 2017 offseason the Browns tried to get Taylor too, ultimately failing and having Taylor go on to help navigate Buffalo to the playoffs. Now the Browns have their man and they hope Taylor can start to turn around their franchise.