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The Cleveland Browns returned to the NFL in 1999 after a four-year absence and were consistently one of the weakest teams in the league for two decades. The Browns have won just 112 of the 352 games they have played in the NFL since their return to the league on the cusp of the new millennium.
One of the primary reasons for their poor record since 1999 is their lack of consistency at quarterback. Prior to Baker Mayfield, only Tim Couch started all 16 games of a season, doing so in 2001.
Close to two decades after their return to the NFL, the Browns simply couldn't draft, sign, or trade for a franchise star before picking Mayfield with the first pick of the 2018 NFL draft. Since 1999, the team has astonishingly had eight seasons with more than three starting quarterbacks.
Ranking Cleveland Browns’ top 5 QB since 1999
Before drafting Mayfield, the Browns started 29 different quarterbacks from 1999 to 2018. While the team has had terrible luck at QB, a few did manage to impress, albeit for a short spell. Here are the five best Cleveland Browns QBs since 1999.
#5 - Brian Hoyer
The Browns have had no quarterback more likable than Brian Hoyer. The Cleveland-native was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New England Patriots in 2009.
He spent three years with the team before being released. He was signed during the 2012 season by the Pittsburgh Steelers as a backup to third-choice QB Charlie Batch after injuries to Ben Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich. He was released without playing a single snap and was then signed by the Arizona Cardinals, where he played in the final two games of the regular season.
He returned home to Cleveland, signing with the Browns in the 2013 NFL offseason. He started three games and won them all in the 2013 campaign but an ACL tear prematurely ended a promising campaign. In the 2014 season, the team started 6-3 with Hoyer as the starter but lost three out of the next four to all but end their playoff hopes.
For a brief period, Hoyer seemed to be the answer to the QB conundrum in Cleveland, but it wasn't to be and he was released at the end of the 2014 season.
#4 - Derek Anderson
After taking over from Charlie Frye in the second quarter of the 2007 season opener, Derek Anderson made the QB position in Cleveland his own with some stellar performances.
He led the Browns to a 10-6 record, narrowly missing out on a playoff berth. Anderson threw for 3,787 passing yards with 29 touchdowns passes. He was named as a replacement for Tom Brady at the 2008 NFL Pro Bowl after the then-Patriots QB pulled out due to an injury.
But much like his predecessors, Anderson couldn't prove himself to be the Browns' long-term answer at QB. He played 16 games over the next two seasons, recording 2,503 passing yards with 12 touchdown passes and 18 interceptions.
#3 - Tim Couch
Tim Couch was considered one of the best prospects in the 1999 NFL draft class. The Cleveland Browns, who were returning to the league after a four-year absence, picked the QB with the first overall pick.
Couch's career in the NFL unraveled quickly as he failed to replicate his college heroics. He is now remembered as one of the biggest busts in draft history. In his defense, the Browns could never surround Couch with a stellar receiving core or a decent offensive line.
After five seasons as the Browns' quarterback, Couch finished with a 22-37 win-loss record. He threw for 11,131 passing with 64 touchdown passes and 67 interceptions in 59 starts (62 total games) for the Browns.
#2 - Kelly Holcomb
Kelly Holcomb holds the distinct record of being the first quarterback to start in a playoffs game for the Browns after their return in 1999. He started their 2003 wildcard matchup against divisional rivals Pittsburgh Steelers.
After an injury to Tim Couch, Holcomb stepped in and played two fantastic games to lead the Browns to the playoffs. Holcomb started 12 games for the Browns, played 13 in total, and threw for 3,438 passing yards with 26 touchdown passes and 21 interceptions.
#1 - Baker Mayfield
In 2017, the Cleveland Browns became only the second team in NFL history after the 2008 Detroit Lions to finish a season with an 0-16 record. The Browns had the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft and used it to pick Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield.
After only three seasons with the Browns, Mayfield is already sixth on the list of the team's all-time passing yards leaders and fifth on touchdown passes. In 2021, Mayfield led the Browns to their first playoff appearance since 2003 and their first playoff win since 1994.
The 25-year-old is already the Browns' best QB since the franchise's return to the league in 1999.
