BEREA, Ohio – DeShone Kizer couldn’t say the word enough.
The Cleveland Browns opened Rookie Minicamp on Friday, and the attention turned to the second-rounder from Notre Dame who took his first steps toward a quarterback competition with Cody Kessler and Brock Osweiler in the preseason. How much of a role Kizer plays in that competition is a mystery, but there's enough intrigue considering the Browns were willing to make this pick.
After all, it's Cleveland. Kizer is the latest quarterback to enter that grind that has spit out 26 different starting quarterbacks since 1999, and Kessler is the returner from last season. How the Browns treat Kizer's development from now until Week 1 will be a topic of conversation down the line, but he's not worried about that right now.
He stressed that one word the most when describing his goals.
"Learn," Kizer said before doubling down. "Just learn. That playbook is a whole new language. Commanding the huddle, trying to figure out what it takes to be a NFL quarterback."
MORE: Peppers answers off-field criticisms
It's no surprise Kizer spent most of that first practice almost attached to second-year coach Hue Jackson.
For the second straight year, the Browns drafted a quarterback without that first-round label. First-round quarterbacks are expected to be franchise quarterbacks. Kizer doesn't have to be that yet, but Cleveland still has another three-way competition where it's tough to pick a winner.
Jackson went through the same process with Kessler at Rookie Minicamp in 2016. Kessler's development from the third-string was accelerated by injuries. Kizer's path is different. It starts before the snap.
"You're going to have to be able to say the plays in the huddle before you can actually do anything,” Kizer said of Jackson's first lesson. "That's going to be the biggest transition piece for coming from a team where it was all hand signals, in high school and in college. To be able to go in the huddle and communicate with the guys is the first thing on the agenda."
The snap comes next.
"You've got to remember here's a young man who played in the shotgun probably 90 percent of the time and now’s he’s going under center, hasn’t played in a really-sophisticated pro-style offense," Jackson said. "I thought he did some really good things but again, but he has to do them again, again and again."
This seems like a basic learning curve, but it doesn't take long to see those tools the 6-foot-4, 233-pounder possesses at Rookie Minicamp. He's part of a big, fast rookie class that includes first-round picks Myles Garrett, Jabrill Peppers and David Njoku. Kizer is talented. He put up 5,805 passing yards, 47 touchdowns and 19 interceptions, with a 60.7 percent completion percentage at Notre Dame the last two seasons. The Irish, however, went 4-8 last season and Kizer’s decision to turn pro was an agree-to-disagree situation with Brian Kelly.
MORE: How Browns could land next franchise QB
The dilemma is figuring out when it will be Kizer's time, and whether he will be ready. Will that be predetermined like it was with Kessler last season?
The initial reaction would be to let Kizer develop behind Kessler or Osweiler next season knowing what's happened in the past.
Kessler went 0-8 as a starter after being pressed into action in Week 3 because of injuries to Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown. Cleveland has drafted eight other quarterbacks before Kizer since 1999, and that group combined for an 11-46 record as starters in their respective rookie seasons.
Tim Couch and Brandon Weeden started from Day 1. Kessler and Colt McCoy played before the midway point. Charlie Frye, Luke McCown, Johnny Manziel and Spergon Wynn played in five games or less, and Brady Quinn made one cameo appearance. None of it worked, and there are 26 not-so-gentle reminders that it didn't work.
The flip side would be if Kizer learns on an accelerated curve and works into the competition in the preseason, then what would hold Cleveland back from giving him a serious look? Osweiler and Kessler aren't exactly franchise quarterbacks at this point, and the 2018 NFL Draft class includes Sam Darnold. Is that the quarterback the Browns have been waiting for? If that's the thinking, then Kizer would deserve a look at some point.
That's what make this learning curve interesting. This is a quarterback-coach relationship Kizer seems to embrace with, in his words, "open ears."
"How much he loves ball and how much he loves quarterbacks," Kizer said when asked what he likes about working with Jackson. "He's a guy who really prides himself on developing quarterbacks and making his system a quarterback's system. With that, I’m just excited to learn as much as I can from him. To have a head coach who is going to be in all the quarterback meetings and going to be calling the plays for you makes an easy relationship between quarterback and the head coach."
Jackson said the next stage is finding what Cleveland hasn't found at quarterback.
"Just consistency," Jackson said. "He's a very-talented player. He's a big guy with a big arm and very bright, and I think he has a lot of upside. But I think he's got a lot of work to do, and he knows that."
Jackson likely emphasized something else before the huddle or the snap. Kizer handled his round of interviews in a buttoned-up style that was easy to see. He didn't want to discuss a pending quarterback competition with Kessler and Osweiler. He didn't want to hear comparisons to Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger. He didn't take the bait on whether he's using the fact Mitchell Trubisky, Pat Mahomes II and Deshaun Watson were first-round picks as a chip on his shoulder.
"You can't have a chip on your shoulder until you're prepared to compete," Kizer said.
Kizer doesn't think he's anywhere close yet.
There's still too much to learn.
