BEREA, Ohio -- DeShone Kizer is well aware of the varying paths to success for an NFL quarterback.
"This league is one where quarterbacks typically don't find success until three, four years in," the Cleveland Browns rookie said Friday. "You see most of the greats who have been out there have had someone in front of him who led him into that position. If that's where my path takes me, I'd be more than happy to take it on and learn from someone in front of me who does become a starter.
"If my path leads to me playing right away, then that's something that I'm going to have to continue to try to find a way of learning from the guys."
Kizer, the Browns' second-round draft pick from Notre Dame, said he'd be fine either way, although he added the Browns have "thrown me to the fire the last couple months" in a way that "allowed me to grow pretty quickly and become pretty comfortable pretty fast." Browns coach Hue Jackson admitted Kizer is ahead of where he expected him to be, based on his knowledge of the playbook and his ability to call plays, something he never had to do at Notre Dame.
But when it comes to practice reps, Cody Kessler worked with the first team on the first day, Brock Osweiler with the second team and Kizer with the third team. However, after Kevin Hogan also got some reps, Jackson gave Kizer another rep or two with the first team.
Jackson has made two things clear with that approach: Kizer is the guy he knows the least, so he needs to see him more, and Kizer after the offseason was not ready to start a game.
That is the balance the Browns must walk, whether it's wiser to play Kizer right away and let him go through the growing pains, or whether it's best to let him wait behind Osweiler or Kessler.
To see Kizer is to see a guy who looks the part of an AFC North quarterback. He's big, strong and strong-armed. He's smart, works hard and accepts his situation. He can stand in the pocket and drive the ball, he can throw on the run, and when the pocket breaks down, he can slide to give himself space.
Osweiler gushed about him.
"There's not a throw that he can't make," Osweiler said.
The problem comes in learning the offense and the system, and in consistency. For every good throw Kizer makes in practice, there are one or two behind a receiver or into the ground. That's exactly what happened on the first day of practice. Kizer had a nice rollout throw to Corey Coleman, but later led a receiver too far and threw another short.
Those are the growing pains that any young quarterback has to go through.
The pros and cons with playing Kizer are evident. Among the pros:
Of the three players competing to start, there is little doubt who has the bigger arm and who is the stronger player. Kizer has the arm strength and physique needed in the Browns' division.
If he is the Browns' future, he might as well play right away and go through the growing pains. Peyton Manning endured them; so did Carson Wentz and Dak Prescott a year ago, to varying degrees.
The Browns aren't expected to win more than six games no matter who plays, so playing a rookie won't set the team back. If a team is going to struggle, it may as well put the guy who is the future out there. It's also not like his competition is Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roetlhisberger; if all is equal, play the young guy.
The negatives:
The opening schedule is not conducive to throwing a player in who isn't totally ready. The Steelers and Ravens are expected to have two of the better defenses in the league, and the Colts and Bengals should be on the fringe of the playoffs. Putting a guy on the field who's not ready to face that quartet could damage his psyche.
Prescott took over a team loaded with talent in Dallas, a team that included Ezekiel Elliott, Dez Bryant and probably the league's best offensive line. Wentz took over a team that had functional talent, even though it didn't match Dallas. The Browns have upgraded the offensive line and have running back Isaiah Crowell, but are woefully short of talent at receiver. It would be asking a lot of Kizer to try to raise the level of that group, and could be more damaging than beneficial.
The late, great Bill Walsh used the word "traumatic" when asked about playing a young quarterback too soon. That's a word the Browns should be aware of, as they have cycled through more young quarterbacks since 1999 than the scouting combine. If Kizer is mentally able to handle a long season, he's ready. If he's not, the Browns risk doing damage. Kizer admitted it could be detrimental if he's rushed in too soon. "But I think this program in particular has been through that situation so many times that I think they have a good idea of when a QB is ready to go out there," he said.
The balance is delicate. The Browns could go with Osweiler or Kessler for the first four games and see where they are. That was the original Browns plan in 1999, when Ty Detmer started the team's first game back ahead of Tim Couch. But a blowout opening loss changed those plans in a hurry. Couch was rushed in and was sacked a league-high 56 times as a rookie.
How the Browns handle Kizer could be determined by his play in preseason games.
Kizer gets it. He was very clear about saying he would not be disappointed if he is not the opening-day starter.
"It's hard to be disappointed with something that's not in my hands," he said. "I've always been told to control what you can control. And right now, all I can control is my attitude and my effort to becoming a better quarterback."