Tyler Huntley somehow, some way made the Pro Bowl in 2022. Now the former Baltimore Ravens quarterback might be lucky just to make a roster. Currently under contract with the Cleveland Browns, he is competing for the third spot on the depth chart. Browns beat writer Zak Jackson is not convinced that he will make the cut.
“Maybe either Huntley or [Dorian] Thompson-Robinson ends up getting traded to help Cleveland address something at the back of the roster”, he wrote for The Athletic. “Maybe Huntley makes it and serves as the designated quarterback sneak runner. Maybe Thompson-Robinson will have an impressive summer and becomes the inexpensive, long-term backup option the team hoped he could be. Regardless of when [Deshaun] Watson is fully cleared, Huntley and Thompson-Robinson figure to get plenty of August chances to audition for Cleveland first, but also the rest of the league”.
The Browns signed Jameis Winston to be the top backup quarterback to the injury-prone Watson. They drafted Thompson-Robinson just last year, signing Huntley as a free agent this offseason. Despite spending four years backing up Lamar Jackson, the Ravens decided not to re-sign him.
And he ended up signing with the Browns on a Veteran Salary Benefit contract. This, the man who made the Pro Bowl in 2022—in which season he threw two touchdowns and three interceptions. Huntley played in six games that year, starting four, going 2-2. He went 75-of-112 passing for 658 yards. He also ran for 137 yards and a touchdown, with three fumbles.
No, I still don’t know how Huntley managed to make the Pro Bowl that year. It makes much more sense that he is fighting on the fringe of the Browns’ roster now. The reality is he was never really good, but he fit how the Ravens used Jackson at quarterback.
A fifth-round pick out of UCLA, Dorian Thompson-Robinson went 1-2 as a starter last year, thrust into playing time. He went 60-of-122 passing for 440 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions. He is not exactly a juggernaut, either, but he could show growth in his second season and beat out Huntley.
The Browns just made sure to give themselves options after last year’s quarterback crisis. Watson missed most of the season due to injury, and they stumbled until they landed on Joe Flacco. Yet instead of re-signing Flacco, they added Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley.
Jackson questions, though, whether the Browns will even keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. Beginning this season, the third quarterback could dress even on the practice squad. Thompson-Robinson is a more likely candidate for that than Huntley, but both are possible.
After all, the Ravens decided to go with Josh Johnson as their backup over Huntley, and nobody else signed him. He is playing on a minimum salary, although the Browns did guarantee $302,400, including his signing bonus. Would it really be shocking if nobody rushed out to sign or trade for him? Then again, he did make that Pro Bowl.
