Kevin Hogan Named Browns' Starting QB vs. Texans over DeShone Kizer

Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson announced Wednesday that Kevin Hogan will start at quarterback against the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Jackson said the following, according to Andrew Gribble of the team's official website:

"I've made the decision to start Kevin this week. We've liked what Kevin has been able to do within our offense when he's been in there and he will ‪start on Sunday because that's what we feel is best for our team at this point in time. This does not change the way we feel about DeShone [Kizer] going forward. He has worked extremely hard and still very much has a bright future. Right now, it's better for him and his development to back up Kevin."

Kizer struggled in five starts to begin the season, and the Browns once again find themselves in the NFL's basement at 0-5.

“He’s completely riding with me still,” Kizer said of Jackson, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “He’s just gonna ride with me from a different angle. He felt that this offense needed a spark and that they’re going to be able to get that with Kevin.”

Per Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot, Hogan is the latest in a long line of Browns starting signal-callers since their return to the NFL in 1999:

The second-year man out of Stanford has appeared in three games this season and performed well with 377 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Hogan played the second half for Cleveland in its 17-14 loss to the New York Jets in Week 5, finishing with 194 yards on 16-of-19 passing with two touchdowns and one pick.

The 24-year-old beat out both Cody Kessler and Brock Osweiler for the backup job behind Kizer during the preseason.

Kizer—a second-round rookie out of Notre Dame—looked fantastic during the preseason but has been unable to carry that over to the games that count.

In addition to his winless record, Kizer has completed just 50.9 percent of his passes for 851 yards, three touchdowns and a league-high nine interceptions.

The Browns are just 1-20 under Jackson, and with his hot seat potentially heating up even more, a change needed to be made.

While the Browns' quarterback of the future may not even be on the roster yet, Hogan may give them the best chance to win now.