Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Browns trade Cody Kessler to Jacksonville

Photo Credit:Ohio.com/Akron Beacon Journal
In a move that was destined to happen when the Browns signed Drew Stanton last week, Cleveland traded Cody Kessler to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2019 draft.
The condition is more than likely triggered, if Kessler either makes the roster out of camp or is on the roster at a certain point of the season.

The Browns were never going to bring four veteran quarterbacks to camp, especially when they are going to add one quarterback in the first round and might add another on day three.
There just aren't enough reps in camp to give all of those players what they need to be a fair competition and Kessler seemed to be the odd man out, even for the final camp spot against Kevin Hogan.

Kessler was badly overdrafted by former Browns personnel head Sashi Brown in the third round in 2016 and was the first player to be looked at as a pure "analytics" pick based on his college stats and perceived numbers more than his actual physical ability and chances to succeed in the NFL.
Kessler was forced into action as a rookie in 2016 and lost all eight starts but threw six touchdowns against two interceptions, which look decent enough for a rookie not turning the football over, unless you actually watched the games that Kessler played in.
Watching those games saw a quarterback that didn't have an arm to even considering going deep and was a checkdown specialist that went short on a constant basis not optionally, but because he didn't have a choice-he simply was unable to throw the ball well past twenty yards.
Kessler held the ball far too long to avoid interceptions and took 21 sacks in those starts.
Kessler played three games in 2017 as a backup to DeShone Kizer and Kevin Hogan, throwing one interception in 23 throws in his limited action.

Cody Kessler will likely, in the long run, be better remembered for being the poster player for the Sashi Brown "Analytics" regime and for the Hue Jackson quote "Trust me on this" after the press immediately questioned the selection on his draft night, far more than anything that he ever accomplished on the field.

Back in a few hours with something special..

No comments: