The NFL's strangest quarterback "competition" of the summer provided cover for the league's worst-kept secret.
Less than two weeks after insisting that Brandon Weedendoes not have a short leash, Cleveland Browns coach Rob Chudzinskireiterated Friday that the No. 22 overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft is not guaranteed to reclaim his starting job when he returns from a right thumb injury.
In fact, NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell said Thursday on WHFS-FM in Tampa, Fla., that he "happens to know" Weeden is "not going to be their guy" for the 2014 season.
Cosell isn't in the habit of breaking news, but this hardly is earth-shattering considering the reports emanating from Browns training camp that the Joe Banner-Michael Lombardi front office does not view Weeden as the answer at quarterback.
Working as an NFL Network analyst in 2012, Lombardi panned the previous regime's first-round selection of Weeden as a "panicked disaster."
The Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot confirmed Thursday that the Browns are not sold on Weeden, and the "general feeling" is that former president Mike Holmgren and former general manager Tom Heckert "botched" the top picks in last year's draft.
Weeden spent his first season as the odd man out in the discussion of special rookie quarterbacks. Now in his second season, it's evident that he holds the ball too long, doesn't move well in the pocket and struggles with field vision, touch and ball placement.
As a pocket passer with ideal size and a strong arm, Weeden is best suited to a vertical offense. If he can't hack it in Norv Turner's aggressive downfield attack, it's fair to wonder if there's any offense for which he will be viewed as a candidate to start in the future.
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