Brandon Weeden is saying all of the right things to cement himself as the team's starting quarterback. As the Cleveland Browns open for offseason workouts, the second year quarterback is ready to take control of the team. While Weeden fights to stay relevant with the team, the Browns are still considering drafting quarterback Geno Smith with their first pick in the upcoming draft.
The Browns are attempting to build some kind of quarterback competition within the team. After Weeden had an underwhelming rookie season, the team signed Jason Campbell to a contract to help push and improve Weeden, something the quarterback says is working.
"I want to compete, and having Jason here is better for everyone involved because we'll push each other. This is probably the biggest year of my career because I've got to show that I can play at this level and make adjustments," Weeden said.
Weeden did set a franchise record last season for passing yards, so he should feel comfortable about his future with the team. However, Weeden says he must take control and be the guy that can go out and win games for the Browns. In Weeden's rookie year, he played 15 games, throwing for 3,385 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also had 17 interceptions, one of the league's worst.
As voluntary workouts begin, Weeden took all of the first-team snaps, but that is not stopping the Browns from looking towards the draft for other quarterback options. The Browns will draft No.6 overall and have a very good chance at landing Smith who is considered the best quarterback in this year's class. Head coach Rob Chudzinski is staying mum on the team's draft plans, saying that at this moment everyone is an option.
"We've had the chance to work out a number of guys and all have gone well. I'm not going to get too much into detail on those. I know that we're going to talk later this week about some of the draft things," Chudzinski said.
For now, Weeden remains the team's top guy. Chudzinski believes Weeden will benefit from new offensive coordinator Norv Turner who works well with quarterbacks that have a strong arm and can throw an accurate deep ball. Chudzinski says that Campbell will also get a chance to take first-team snaps as well. They are looking at these workouts as a "learning camp" rather than an "assessment camp." Even if Weeden looks impressive this week, it will not stop the Browns from drafting a backup plan.
