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2020 NFL Draft

Browns Mailbag: What's next for the Browns' quarterback competition?

After months and months of speculation and guesswork, answers were found over a busy three days in the Cleveland Browns war room.

Fourteen of them, to be exact.

Now, the questions continue with how these players will fit on the field and assimilate with the rest of the Browns' roster.

We've got four of them teed up for this week's Browns Mailbag.

In short, no. The quarterback competition has only just begun and really won't kick into full swing until training camp begins in late July. Obviously, though, there are some variables to consider and things to discuss now that USC's Cody Kessler has joined the group.

Let's tackle a few of them.

Glancing around the Internet after Cleveland's draft, many came to the conclusion Robert Griffin III was given a huge vote of confidence based on how the Browns attacked the draft. The Browns took themselves out of contention for one of the top two quarterbacks when they traded out of the No. 2 spot and did not select a quarterback until late in the third round after they'd already selected four players. That sentiment, though, was not something coach Hue Jackson and executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown necessarily agreed with. Yes, Jackson and Co. love what Griffin can bring to the table and the potential he carries at still a relatively young age, but he's got to prove he's the best in what will be a true competition.

"He's got a challenge here. Robert understands," Brown said Saturday. "We had extensive conversations with him throughout the process when we had him in for a visit and prior to signing him about where he is in his career. I think he's very realistic about that. He's very serious about competing. We look forward to giving him an opportunity to do that here. There's no reason he can't, but this is going to be a competition. We would not have made the investment we made in him if we didn't feel like he was capable of being our starter."

Brown and Jackson weren't ready to label Kessler, one of college football's most accurate quarterbacks in college football, as strictly a developmental, long-term option, either. Brown advised the the team's other quarterbacks - Griffin, Josh McCown, Austin Davis and Connor Shaw -- he wouldn't "sleep" on Kessler if he were in their shoes.

"Let's give him an opportunity to compete and see where he is," Jackson said. "Obviously, we are bringing him here for a reason because we think that he has the characteristics that we look for. Hopefully, we are right and he will ascend up the ladder, but he is going to have to compete and earn it and do the things that we think he can do."

The Browns wrapped up a busy third round Friday by selecting USC quarterback Cody Kessler with the No. 93 pick.

Who are the 10 free agents you guys signed? -- Curtiss R., Cuyahoga Falls

The Browns have yet to announce their signings of undrafted free agents, however many there may be, but that should come sooner rather than later. It just needs to be done before next week's rookie minicamp, which begins May 13 in Berea and continues through the weekend, including a Saturday afternoon practice at FirstEnergy Stadium during Browns Fan Fest.

What jersey numbers will the new Browns be wearing? -- Brian H., Parker, Colorado

That's also unconfirmed at the moment but will be clarified in the coming days. Many of the players wore numbers in college that would not be permitted based on their position in the NFL.

Do you see Scooby Wright III making the final 53-man roster? I believe he's a tackling machine and makes the team and will be a Dawg Pound favorite this year. -- Rod O., St. John, New Brunswick

Historically, the odds are tough for anyone drafted as late in the seventh round as Wright was, but he's probably the last player on earth you'd want to count out from proving people wrong. He was an unheralded, two-star recruit when he enrolled at Arizona, the only FBS school to offer him a scholarship. He promptly won a starting job and was on the field nearly every down of his freshman season before his breakout, All-American sophomore year. Injuries and other measurables hindered Wright's draft stock, but he'll begin rookie minicamp as healthy as he's been in a long time. The key to making a 53-man roster from a spot like Wright's is showing value not just at your position, but also on special teams. Cleveland has some shoes to fill in that area with the departures of Craig Robertson and Johnson Bademosi. As Wright proved at Arizona, how you got in the door doesn't matter the moment you step on the field. Everyone's on equal footing, and Wright will have his chance to prove he belongs.

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