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Cleveland Browns adding former Baltimore Raven Tyler Huntley for more quarterback depth
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- Cleveland Browns adding former Baltimore Raven Tyler Huntley for more quarterback depth
The Browns are doing more to add depth to the quarterback position .
Former Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley has agreed to terms with the Browns on a veteran's minimum deal, a league source tells the Beacon Journal. Huntley becomes the second quarterback with whom the team has agreed to a deal in the last week.
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The Browns previously reached agreement with former No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston on a one-year deal worth up to $8.7 million. Now they add Huntley at the minimum to join starter Deshaun Watson , Winston and Dorian Thompson-Robinson , who will be entering his second season.
The 26-year-old Huntley has appeared in 20 career regular-season games with the Ravens, who signed him in 2020 as an undrafted rookie out of the University of Utah. However, primarily because of injuries to Lamar Jackson in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, he has started nine regular-season games and one playoff game.
For his career, Huntley — who was added to the Pro Bowl roster after the 2022 season — has completed 64.6% of his 342 passes for 1,957 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. He's also run the ball 115 times for 509 yards and three touchdowns.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley (2) throws the ball during warm ups before a game against the Browns on Dec. 17, 2022, in Cleveland.
"Just a really, really good football player," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said of Huntley before a Week 15 game in December 2022. "Hard to get on the ground, whether they run him by design or he is scrambling. Accurate with his throws. Really an impressive quarterback."
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Huntley and Winston join the Browns as questions remain about Watson's definitive timetable to return to game action after a November shoulder surgery . General manager Andrew Berry said at the NFL combine in late February that Watson was scheduled to start throwing "next month" — meaning March — but didn't establish any other checkpoints.
"He's on track," Berry said at the combine. "He'll start throwing next month. I'm not going to get too far out in front of my skis, but we're really please and think that he's going to be just fine."
The additions of Winston and Huntley, if nothing else, show the Browns have learned from their actions last season. They entered that season with only Thompson-Robinson, a rookie at the time, on the 53-man roster as Watson's backup, while P.J. Walker was on the practice squad.
The lack of a proven backup quarterback blew up in their face when Watson sustained a rotator cuff strain that cost him three full games and the final three quarters of a fourth game in October. The Browns went 2-2 in those games, with Walker leading them to comeback wins over the San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts .
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley carries the ball as Cleveland Browns linebacker Tony Fields II defends Dec. 17, 2022, in Cleveland.
Thompson-Robinson did start two games when Watson's season ended days after a Week 10 win at the Ravens with the revelation of a broken glenoid in his shoulder. However, it wasn't until veteran Joe Flacco was signed and eventually took over the starter's role, going 4-1 in December, that the position was stabilized.
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"In terms of the quarterback room, we've always valued the quarterback position," Berry said at a season wrap-up news conference Jan. 22. "And I think probably if you look at our history over the last four offseasons, we've always been towards the top of the league in backup quarterback expenditures or resources. … So it's something, I believe, that backup quarterback really is a top-30 position on the roster, and we do believe in carrying three and that's something that we'll probably do moving forward."
The last week has proven that Berry could've said "definitely" instead of "probably."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns adding former Raven Tyler Huntley for more quarterback depth
