Starters per season
The number of regular season games each player started during the season is listed to the right.
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 67 quarterbacks start in at least one game for the team and 68 total. 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 2024 season, the team has had 40 players start at quarterback, with only three seasons (2001 with Tim Couch, 2019 and 2020 with Baker Mayfield) in which the same quarterback started every game. [1] [4]
The early era of the NFL and American football in general was not conducive to passing the football, with the forward pass not being legalized until the early 1900s and not fully adopted for many more years. [5] Although the quarterback position has historically been the one to receive the snap and thus handle the football on every offensive play, [6] the importance of the position during this era was limited by various rules, like having to be five yards behind the line of scrimmage before a forward pass could be attempted. [7] These rules and the tactical focus on rushing the ball limited the importance of the quarterback position while enhancing the value of different types of backs, such as the halfback and the fullback. [8] Some of these backs were considered triple-threat men, capable of rushing, passing or kicking the football, making it common for multiple players to attempt a pass during a game. [9]
As rules changed and the NFL began adopting a more pass-centric approach to offensive football, the importance of the quarterback position grew. [7] [8] Beginning in 1950, total wins and losses by a team's starting quarterback were tracked. [10] Prior to 1950, the Browns had numerous players identified as playing the quarterback position. However, the combination of unreliable statistics in the early era of the NFL and the differences in the early quarterback position make tracking starts by quarterbacks impractical for this timeframe.
The number of regular season games each player started during the season is listed to the right.
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.
As of Week 18 of the 2024 NFL season. [11] Completion percentage and passer rating records are for players with at least 1500 pass attempts for the Browns.
These Browns quarterbacks started during the postseason.
| Season(s) | Quarterback(s) |
|---|---|
| 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) |
These Browns starting quarterbacks have been selected to the Pro Bowl. [12]
| 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 |