Another week, another quarterback to lead injury-plagued Cleveland to its inevitable demise.
The Browns will start rookie quarterback Cody Kessler in place of injured veteran Josh McCown when the team travels to Miami to take on the Dolphins on Sunday, the team announced Monday.
"Cody Kessler will be out there playing," coach Hue Jackson told reporters Monday. "He's the next guy up.''
As of Sunday, the Browns will have started five different quarterbacks in five games dating back to last season, with Johnny Manziel and Austin Davis starting the final two games of 2015. Cleveland will become the first team to start three different quarterbacks in the first three games of a season since Kansas City did so in 2008.
MORE: Fantasy Football waiver wire pickups Week 3
It all began in Week 1 when Robert Griffin III sustained a shoulder injury in a 29-10 season-opening loss to the Eagles. He was promptly placed on injured reserve after tests revealed a fractured coracoid bone in his left shoulder that could keep him sidelined up to 12 weeks.
Things went from worse to devastating when McCown suffered a left shoulder injury in a disastrous 25-20 home-opening loss to the rival Ravens after the Browns put up 20 points in the first quarter. Although he was briefly taken to the locker room, McCown refused to come out of the game and didn't miss a single offensive snap as a result. His status is listed as day-to-day after undergoing an MRI on Monday.
"It's just not wanting to not be out there with your guys,'' McCown said Sunday, via Cleveland.com. "I have a dad and an older brother who get up and go to work and sometimes they don't feel great and they go. They go and they grind. I have two little boys that are playing football now. They get hit and they get banged up, and I am trying to teach them what toughness means."
MORE: Ranking all the Browns starting QBs since 1999
Kessler, a third-round selection out of USC, said he's been prepared to make his debut and is ready to see his first NFL action. Especially after being inspired by McCown's competitive drive.
"It's a physical game and you always have to be ready,'' Kessler said. "For me it's been just the process, getting the process down and continue to grow each week, continue to learn. Last week I got more reps and I felt more comfortable getting to go in with the offense, instead of doing the scout team the whole time. It's the mentality you have to have. I have to continue to prepare as the starter, and I told you guys that from Day 1.''