As expected, Brandon Weeden has won the starting job for the Cleveland Browns. But not only is the second-year quarterback being viewed as the No. 1 signal caller on the depth chart. Some are thinking he could be in store for a breakout sophomore season.
The reason for that? Weeden has been killing it this preseason. He has completed 72 percent of his 25 passes for 9.2 yards per attempt and has posted a passer rating of 139.8 through two games, which makes him the hottest quarterback of August.
Let's keep in mind that Derek Anderson was sort of an August star in 2011. Same for Jake Delhomme in Cleveland in 2010. Guys shine all the time in the preseason and then fade in the regular season.
This could be different. Not only is Weeden a first-round pick, but he's a mature one. He'll turn 30 this fall, and although his numbers were poor as a rook he improved as the 2012 season wore on:
Last year, Weeden was terrible in the preseason, too. So this means something. His supporting cast continues to improve — the first-team Browns offense has outscored opponents 27-3 midway through the exhibition schedule — on that young Cleveland team, so maybe we aren't overreacting by getting excited about Weeden here.
