It's nearly April and to the surprise of some, Brock Osweiler is still a Brown.
When asked by NFL Network's Steve Wyche in an interview that will air in-full Monday during Path to the Draft if Osweiler was going to be a part of the Browns this year, Jackson responded, "He is. Obviously, he's a player on our team and we're going to treat him just like we do all of our other quarterbacks until he's not.
"He's a guy that's gonna come in and compete. We haven't had an opportunity to meet with him from a football standpoint because of the rules. But once we start our offseason program, phase one, we'll get a chance to know him and he'll get to know us."
Jackson's coach-speak states the obvious: Anyone who is on the roster now will be evaluated and treated like a member of the organization, which he is. But how long will Brock's stay in Cleveland last?
The Browns have seen off Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown in free agency and currently have second-year quarterbacks Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan on the roster alongside Osweiler. The team has also worked out or is scheduled to work out the top four quarterbacks in this year's draft: Mitchell Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, DeShone Kizer and Patrick Mahomes. Cleveland is expected to draft Myles Garrett with the first overall selection, but picking a young arm at No. 12 -- or using the pick to trade for one -- is certainly not out of the question.
On quarterbacks still available in free agency or via trade, Jackson was mum. The coach was non-descript again when talking about Cleveland potentially acquiring Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo in a blockbuster trade. When queried about approaching Colin Kaepernick, Jackson said never say never, but admitted that the quarterback had not been a part of "any discussion" among Browns brass.
Cleveland is not resting on its laurels, keeping Brock just so he can play out his expensive second year, but Jackson isn't showing his hand either.
"I think you always are (in the market for a QB)," Jackson explained to Wyche. "I think you're always looking to improve that room because I think we all know that that's the driver of your football team. I think we'll continue to look for ways to improve the room as much as we can. But I just think, as we go through it, we'll continue to coach the guys that are there and give them the best opportunity and continue to find ways to get better."
