2022 Browns schedule: Ranking the opposing quarterbacks
While there have been some games officially revealed and others are reporting “leaks” of scheduled games, there are no official reports on the schedule for the Cleveland Browns for 2022. The full schedule will be released on Thursday but expect some official reporting on a few more games before then.
For now, we know who the Browns will face in 2022:
At Home
On the Road
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Pittsburgh Steelers
So much can change between now and when Cleveland faces each of these teams. Injuries, poor performance, suspensions and a variety of unknown reasons could lead things to be different than expected.
Given what we do know, here is how we would rank the quarterbacks the Browns are set to meet in 2022:
15. Sam Darnold/Matt Corral
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Darnold showed very little in his three seasons while Corral has a lot of development ahead of him to be a competent quarterback in the NFL. The Panthers still could trade for Baker Mayfield which would change this order.
14. Kenny Pickett
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
While Pittsburgh may start Mitch Trubisky early in 2022, Cleveland may get a chance against the rookie later in the season. For now, in a bad rookie QB class, Pickett was the first one picked but has a lot to prove.
13. Mitch Trubisky
Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Trubisky didn’t look good in Chicago and assuming a resurgence after sitting one year in Buffalo is not something to bet on. It will be interesting if he can beat out Pickett for the starter job for Week 1 even.
12. Zach Wilson
Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
While the Jets added a lot of talent around Wilson, his rookie year wasn’t overly encouraging. He has the raw talent but needs a lot of work. He can take the next step but was outplayed last year by many of the other rookies.
11. Marcus Mariota
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
To be honest, 8 – 13 on this list were very difficult to parse out and almost any order may make sense. Mariota steps in with Atlanta after they pursued Deshaun Watson leading to Matt Ryan’s trade to Indianapolis. Mariota has sat in Las Vegas for a couple of years but his movement skills could help him by time to find Kyle Pitts and Drake London.
10. Carson Wentz
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Wentz played at MVP levels before getting hurt again a few years ago. He is now on his third team in three years and has proven he can win or lose his team’s games at almost similar clips. He won’t be asked to do as much in Washington, most likely, which could help limit his mistakes.
9. Davis Mills
Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Mills played better as a rookie than many remember. He completed over 66% of his passes for 2,664 yards adding 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Houston may not be surrounding him with enough talent starting off but could use all the picks acquired for Watson to build around him.
After “Tank for Tua,” the former Alabama star has had a rough start to his professional career. The addition of Mike McDaniel should help the offense be explosive while Tyreek Hill and Jalen Waddle are the definition of explosive with their speed. Tagovailoa should be in for a great year.
7. Mac Jones
Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
A steady contributor as a rookie, Jones should be able to take the next step but will have to do so without Josh McDaniels. Former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and former special teams coach Joe Judge are expected to run the team’s offense this year which could lead to a lot of interesting for the Patriots.
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Returning from an ACL injury this year, Winston looked good last year and should excel with Mike Thomas, Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara. He had 14 touchdowns to only three interceptions in seven games in 2021 leading the Saints to a 5-2 record.
5. Lamar Jackson
Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland has five, currently, elite quarterbacks on their schedule this year with the former MVP at the bottom of that list. Jackson lost his top receiver and could be tasked with doing even more in the run game this season without his deep threat.
4. Justin Herbert
Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Herbert may be more gifted than others on this list but still has to prove it game in and game out. Last year, Cleveland struggled against the Chargers and have a chance for redemption.
3. Joe Burrow
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
I know Burrow was in the Super Bowl last year but ranking him third on this list, with the two left above, is not disrespect. Burrow is a gamer who just needs to stay healthy and take advantage of all the weapons around him. A, hopefully, improved offensive line should help.
2. Josh Allen
Allen is among the top quarterbacks in the league along with Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and the top guy on this list. The “Unicorn” turned himself into an accurate, efficient quarterback when he was neither in college or early in his career. He is dangerous in every way a quarterback can be in 2022.
1. Tom Brady
Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Brady is here until he is not. His mind and accuracy make him deadly. His ability to pick apart defenses before the ball is even snapped makes him a nightmare the whole game. He may not be the most gifted but he is the best until he hangs them up (again).
1
1
