List of Cleveland Browns starting quarterbacks
| NFL lists |
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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 59 quarterbacks start in at least one game for the team. Pro Football Hall of Fame member Otto Graham led the Browns to three NFL championships in their first six seasons in the league. Since resuming operations in 1999 after a three-year vacancy, the franchise had been notable for its futility at the quarterback position.[1][2][3] From 1999 through week 4 of the 2018 season, the team had 30 players start at quarterback. Tim Couch, the Browns' first overall draft pick in 1999, was the only quarterback to start all 16 games in a season for the team during a 20-season span (1999-2018), having done so in 2001.[1] The Browns had started more than one quarterback in 17 consecutive seasons, until Baker Mayfield started every game in 2019.[4]
Starters per season[]
The number of regular season games each player started during the season is listed to the right.
| Season(s) | Quarterback(s) |
|---|---|
| 1946 | Otto Graham (11) / Cliff Lewis (3) |
| 1947 | Otto Graham (9) / Cliff Lewis (5) |
| 1948 | Otto Graham (14) |
| 1949 | Otto Graham (11) / Cliff Lewis (1) |
| 1950 | Otto Graham (12) |
| 1951 | Otto Graham (12) |
| 1952 | Otto Graham (12) |
| 1953 | Otto Graham (11) / George Ratterman (1) |
| 1954 | Otto Graham (12) |
| 1955 | Otto Graham (12) |
| 1956 | George Ratterman (4) / Babe Parilli (3) / Tommy O'Connell (5) |
| 1957 | Tommy O'Connell (9) / Milt Plum (3) |
| 1958 | Milt Plum (12) |
| 1959 | Milt Plum (12) |
| 1960 | Milt Plum (12) |
| 1961 | Milt Plum (13) / Len Dawson (1) |
| 1962 | Jim Ninowski (7) / Frank Ryan (7) |
| 1963 | Frank Ryan (13) / Jim Ninowski (1) |
| 1964 | Frank Ryan (14) |
| 1965 | Frank Ryan (12) / Jim Ninowski (2) |
| 1966 | Frank Ryan (14) |
| 1967 | Frank Ryan (13) / Gary Lane (1) |
| 1968 | Frank Ryan (3) / Bill Nelsen (11) |
| 1969 | Bill Nelsen (14) |
| 1970 | Bill Nelsen (12) / Mike Phipps (1) / Don Gault (1) |
| 1971 | Bill Nelsen (13) / Mike Phipps (1) |
| 1972 | Mike Phipps (13) / Bill Nelsen (1) |
| 1973 | Mike Phipps (14) |
| 1974 | Mike Phipps (9) / Brian Sipe (5) |
| 1975 | Mike Phipps (11) / Brian Sipe (2) / Will Cureton (1) |
| 1976 | Mike Phipps (2) / Brian Sipe (14) |
| 1977 | Brian Sipe (9) / Dave Mays (4) / Terry Luck (1) |
| 1978 | Brian Sipe (16) |
| 1979 | Brian Sipe (16) |
| 1980 | Brian Sipe (16) |
| 1981 | Brian Sipe (16) |
| 1982 | Brian Sipe (6) / Paul McDonald (3) |
| 1983 | Brian Sipe (14) / Paul McDonald (2) |
| 1984 | Paul McDonald (16) |
| 1985 | Gary Danielson (6) / Bernie Kosar (10) |
| 1986 | Bernie Kosar (16) |
| 1987 | Bernie Kosar (12) / Jeff Christensen (2) / Gary Danielson (1) |
| 1988 | Bernie Kosar (9) / Mike Pagel (4) / Gary Danielson (1) / Don Strock (2) |
| 1989 | Bernie Kosar (16) |
| 1990 | Bernie Kosar (13) / Mike Pagel (3) |
| 1991 | Bernie Kosar (16) |
| 1992 | Bernie Kosar (7) / Mike Tomczak (8) / Todd Philcox (1) |
| 1993 | Bernie Kosar (7) / Vinny Testaverde (6) / Todd Philcox (3) |
| 1994 | Vinny Testaverde (13) / Mark Rypien (3) |
| 1995 | Vinny Testaverde (12) / Eric Zeier (4) |
| 1996–1998 | Suspended operations |
| 1999 | Tim Couch (14) / Ty Detmer (2) |
| 2000 | Doug Pederson (8) / Tim Couch (7) / Spergon Wynn (1) |
| 2001 | Tim Couch (16) |
| 2002 | Tim Couch (14) / Kelly Holcomb (2) |
| 2003 | Kelly Holcomb (8) / Tim Couch (8) |
| 2004 | Jeff Garcia (10) / Luke McCown (4) / Kelly Holcomb (2) |
| 2005 | Trent Dilfer (11) / Charlie Frye (5) |
| 2006 | Charlie Frye (13) / Derek Anderson (3) |
| 2007 | Derek Anderson (15) / Charlie Frye (1) |
| 2008 | Derek Anderson (9) / Brady Quinn (3) / Ken Dorsey (3) / Bruce Gradkowski (1) |
| 2009 | Brady Quinn (9) / Derek Anderson (7) |
| 2010 | Colt McCoy (8) / Jake Delhomme (4) / Seneca Wallace (4) |
| 2011 | Colt McCoy (13) / Seneca Wallace (3) |
| 2012 | Brandon Weeden (15) / Thad Lewis (1) |
| 2013 | Jason Campbell (8) / Brandon Weeden (5) / Brian Hoyer (3) |
| 2014 | Brian Hoyer (13) / Johnny Manziel (2) / Connor Shaw (1) |
| 2015 | Josh McCown (8) / Johnny Manziel (6) / Austin Davis (2) |
| 2016 | Cody Kessler (8) / Robert Griffin III (5) / Josh McCown (3) |
| 2017 | DeShone Kizer (15) / Kevin Hogan (1) |
| 2018 | Baker Mayfield (13) / Tyrod Taylor (3) |
| 2019 | Baker Mayfield (16) |
| 2020 | Baker Mayfield (16) |
| 2021 | Baker Mayfield (13) / Case Keenum (1) / Nick Mullens (1) |
Most games started[]
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.
(Note: the Browns did not field a team during the years 1996–98.)
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 | 58 | 29 | 29 | 0 | .500 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Case Keenum | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Nick Mullens | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
Postseason[]
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) |
| 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) |
Pro Bowl selections[]
These Browns starting quarterbacks have been selected to the Pro Bowl.[5]
| 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, 1989 |
| Derek Anderson | 2007 |
See also[]
- List of NFL starting quarterbacks
References[]
- ^ 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.
- ^ Retrieved March 2014 from https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/cle/all-pros.htm
- 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.
- Lists of National Football League quarterbacks by team
- Cleveland Browns players
- Cleveland Browns (AAFC) players
- Cleveland Browns lists