List of Cleveland Browns starting quarterbacks
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division.
Since joining the NFL in 1950, the Browns have had 66 quarterbacks start in at least one game for the team. Pro Football Hall of Famer Otto Graham led the Browns to three NFL championships in their first six seasons in the league.
After resuming play in 1999 following a three-year suspension of operations, the franchise has been notable for its instability at the quarterback position.[1][2][3] From 1999 through end of the 2023 season, the team has had 38 players start at quarterback, with only three seasons (2001 with Tim Couch, 2019 and 2020 with Baker Mayfield) where the same quarterback started every game.[1][4]
Starters per season
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The number of regular season games each player started during the season is listed to the right.
Most games started
[edit]Quarterbacks who have started for the Cleveland Browns from the team's first NFL season of 1950 to present. A player is credited with a win if he started the game and the team won that game, no matter if the player was injured or permanently removed after the first play from scrimmage. Only regular season games are included. The Browns' All-America Football Conference games from 1946 to 1949 are not included. The Browns did not field a team from 1996 to 1998.
Sorted by number of starts. Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in italics and most recent starter in bold.
| Quarterback | Games started | Wins | Losses | Ties | Winning pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Sipe | 112 | 57 | 55 | 0 | .509 |
| Bernie Kosar | 105 | 53 | 51 | 1 | .510 |
| Frank Ryan | 76 | 52 | 22 | 2 | .697 |
| Otto Graham | 71 | 57 | 13 | 1 | .810 |
| Tim Couch | 59 | 22 | 37 | 0 | .373 |
| Baker Mayfield | 59 | 29 | 30 | 0 | .492 |
| Bill Nelsen | 51 | 34 | 16 | 1 | .676 |
| Mike Phipps | 51 | 24 | 25 | 2 | .490 |
| Milt Plum | 51 | 33 | 16 | 2 | .667 |
| Derek Anderson | 34 | 16 | 18 | 0 | .471 |
| Vinny Testaverde | 31 | 16 | 15 | 0 | .516 |
| Paul McDonald | 21 | 8 | 13 | 0 | .381 |
| Colt McCoy | 21 | 6 | 15 | 0 | .286 |
| Brandon Weeden | 20 | 5 | 15 | 0 | .250 |
| Deshaun Watson | 19 | 9 | 10 | 0 | .474 |
| Charlie Frye | 19 | 6 | 13 | 0 | .316 |
| Brian Hoyer | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 |
| DeShone Kizer | 15 | 0 | 15 | 0 | .000 |
| Tommy O'Connell | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | .750 |
| Kelly Holcomb | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 |
| Brady Quinn | 12 | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 |
| Jim Ninowski | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | .455 |
| Trent Dilfer | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 |
| Jacoby Brissett | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 |
| Josh McCown | 11 | 1 | 10 | 0 | .091 |
| Jeff Garcia | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | .300 |
| Gary Danielson | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 |
| Mike Tomczak | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 |
| Doug Pederson | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | .125 |
| Jason Campbell | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | .125 |
| Johnny Manziel | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 |
| Cody Kessler | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .000 |
| Mike Pagel | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | .286 |
| Seneca Wallace | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | .143 |
| George Ratterman | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 |
| Todd Philcox | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 |
| Robert Griffin III | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 |
| Joe Flacco | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | .800 |
| Jake Delhomme | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 |
| Dave Mays | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 |
| Eric Zeier | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 |
| Luke McCown | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 |
| Jameis Winston | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 |
| Babe Parilli | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 |
| Mark Rypien | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 |
| Ken Dorsey | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 |
| Tyrod Taylor | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .500 |
| Dorian Thompson-Robinson | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 |
| Don Strock | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Jeff Christensen | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 |
| Ty Detmer | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 |
| Austin Davis | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 |
| Case Keenum | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| P. J. Walker | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 |
| Don Gault | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Gary Lane | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Len Dawson | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Spergon Wynn | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Terry Luck | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Will Cureton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Bruce Gradkowski | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Thaddeus Lewis | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Connor Shaw | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Kevin Hogan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Nick Mullens | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Jeff Driskel | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
Team career passing records
[edit]As of Week 17 of the 2023 NFL season.[5] Completion percentage and passer rating records are for players with at least 1500 pass attempts for the Browns.
- Most yards: Brian Sipe – 23,713
- Most touchdowns: Otto Graham – 174
- Most interceptions: Brian Sipe – 149
- Highest completion percentage: Baker Mayfield – 61.6%
- Highest passer rating: Baker Mayfield – 87.8
Postseason
[edit]These Browns quarterbacks started during the postseason.
| Season(s) | Quarterback(s) |
|---|---|
| 1946 | Otto Graham (1–0) |
| 1947 | Otto Graham (1–0) |
| 1948 | Otto Graham (1–0) |
| 1949 | Otto Graham (2–0) |
| 1950 | Otto Graham (2–0) |
| 1951 | Otto Graham (0–1) |
| 1952 | Otto Graham (0–1) |
| 1953 | Otto Graham (0–1) |
| 1954 | Otto Graham (1–0) |
| 1955 | Otto Graham (1–0) |
| 1957 | Tommy O'Connell (0–1) |
| 1958 | Milt Plum (0–1) |
| 1964 | Frank Ryan (1–0) |
| 1965 | Frank Ryan (0–1) |
| 1967 | Frank Ryan (0–1) |
| 1968 | Bill Nelsen (1–1) |
| 1969 | Bill Nelsen (1–1) |
| 1971 | Bill Nelsen (0–1) |
| 1972 | Mike Phipps (0–1) |
| 1980 | Brian Sipe (0–1) |
| 1982 | Paul McDonald (0–1) |
| 1985 | Bernie Kosar (0–1) |
| 1986 | Bernie Kosar (1–1) |
| 1987 | Bernie Kosar (1–1) |
| 1988 | Don Strock (0–1) |
| 1989 | Bernie Kosar (1–1) |
| 1994 | Vinny Testaverde (1–1) |
| 2002 | Kelly Holcomb (0–1) |
| 2020 | Baker Mayfield (1–1) |
| 2023 | Joe Flacco (0–1) |
Pro Bowl selections
[edit]These Browns starting quarterbacks have been selected to the Pro Bowl.[6]
| Quarterback | Season(s) selected |
|---|---|
| Otto Graham | 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 |
| Tommy O'Connell | 1957 |
| Milt Plum | 1960, 1961 |
| Frank Ryan | 1964, 1965, 1966 |
| Bill Nelsen | 1969 |
| Brian Sipe | 1980 |
| Bernie Kosar | 1987 |
| Derek Anderson | 2007 |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Nadkarni, Rohan (March 24, 2016). "Timeline: Browns quarterbacks since 1999". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ Wilder, Charlotte (September 13, 2016). "The Browns' quarterback woes are about to reach a historic new low". USA Today. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ Knox, Luke. "Browns' QB Carousel". ESPN. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ Kerr-Dineen, Luke (October 9, 2016). "16 depressing stats about the Browns' never-ending quarterback crisis". USA Today. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
- ^ "Cleveland Browns Career Passing Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- ^ "Cleveland Browns All-Pros and Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- Database Football.com, last accessed 10/24/07
- Pro Football Reference.com, last accessed 12/29/08
- Cleveland Plain Dealer's Browns History Database, last Retrieved February 7, 2008
- Bill Levy, Return to Glory: The Story of the Cleveland Browns, (The World Publishing Co., 1965) LCCN 65023356.