The Pittsburgh Steelers will open their 2017 regular season two weeks from today on the road against the Cleveland Browns and now we know who the opposing starting quarterback will be in that contest.
During to his conference call with the media on Sunday, Browns head coach Hue Jackson announced that rookie DeShone Kizer will be Cleveland’s starting quarterback in Week 1 against the Steelers.
Kizer, who the Browns drafted in the second-round this year out of Notre Dame, started the team’s Saturday preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and completed just 6 of his 18 total pass attempts in that contest for 93 yards with no touchdowns and an interception.
In his three preseason appearances, Kizer completed 25 of his 49 total pass attempts for 351 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked a total of five times and rushed for 47 yards and a touchdown on 8 attempts.
Kizer beat out Brock Osweiler, Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan for the starting job and Jackson wasn’t ready to say Sunday which one of those three would be the No. 2 quarterback at the start of the regular season.
While the Steelers have had great success against rookie quarterbacks since head coach Mike Tomlin arrived in 2007, they lost to then-rookies Carson Wentz and Dak Prescott last season. They did, however, beat Kessler last season.
