Hue Jackson: DeShone Kizer ‘gives us hope’

Hue Jackson is casting his vote of confidence for his rookie QB after Week 1.

Addressing the media on Monday, the Cleveland Browns head coach praised DeShone Kizer for his performance in the season-opener against Pittsburgh.

“This young man gives us hope,” said Jackson, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. “He gives you an opportunity to make plays. When I looked up, the game was 21-10, and here we are in the fourth quarter with a chance to win the game late, and that’s because of some plays he made. So that’s what you expect out of your quarterback, and we’re talking about a young rookie quarterback who’s one of the youngest players in the league at that position.

“So that’s exciting for me. I think it’s exciting for our organization,” he went on. “Now that was one game. He’s got to continue to grow and get better and continue to show improvement and progress week in and week out. But we played against a good football team [Sunday]. That wasn’t somebody who just walked in and played against us. That was the Pittsburgh Steelers. I thought he represented himself well.”

Kizer, 21, went 20-of-30 for 222 yards with one touchdown and one pick against the Steelers. He also added five rushes for 17 yards and another score. While the Browns did lose by the final of 21-18, they entered the game as 8.5-point underdogs yet remained competitive until the very end, as Jackson said.

Hope is exactly what the hapless Browns need after going 1-15 last year, their ninth straight losing season. Thus, Jackson must be elated to have an exciting young signal caller who offers just that (and one who heeds his advice no less).