CLEVELAND, Ohio -- DeShone Kizer was put in an impossible situation this season. At 21 years old, he was thrown into a quarterback competition he essentially won because he wasn't the other two quarterbacks. He won the job because the roster wasn't built for him to sit, and the head coach wasn't willing to deal with the flaws of either Cody Kessler or Kevin Hogan.

After that, his weapons failed him and his head coach spent time yanking him in and out of the lineup, even going so far as to start Hogan over him in a disastrous game in Houston.

New General Manager John Dorsey admitted earlier this week that Kizer was the fourth quarterback on his board, which isn't a surprise. He ended up as the fourth quarterback taken, after all, and the Browns certainly didn't reach for him, taking him No. 52 overall.

It's just that the Browns and Jackson never treated him like the fourth quarterback in the draft, a second-round pick who went 4-8 in his final season at Notre Dame and needed a lot of polishing. He was a prize prospect that Jackson spoke of as a future franchise quarterback, something that, given his raw skillset, wasn't out of the realm of possibility, but there has to be a plan in place.

There wasn't.

Sunday, if it wasn't clear already, it became clear as day that the Browns can't go into the 2018 season with Kizer as their top option, and may need to go even further. Kizer finished the day 20-for-37 for 146 yards and two interceptions, including another poor decision in the red zone that cost the Browns points.

I'm of the belief that the Browns should both pursue a veteran and use the No. 1 overall pick to draft a quarterback. Do what they didn't do this past offseason -- build a quarterback room that makes it nearly impossible for the rookie to start from Day 1. Maybe that changes over time, as it did for Philadelphia with Carson Wentz, but make it as far from a reality as possible.

As for Kizer, it's foolish to give up on a 21-year-old who, by all accounts, has put in the work, has shown durability and is smart enough to grasp an NFL playbook, even if he has struggled to execute it. Kizer deserves a real NFL offseason to get better. He deserves an opportunity to come in and compete.

A young player who was set up to fail has done just that, despite his best efforts. There should be no question. The Browns are all-in on the quarterback market and then some.

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