BEREA, Ohio -- It was a Brock Osweiler kind of day.

First, left tackle Joe Thomas effectively christened him the starter for the opener against the Steelers. Then, Hue Jackson named him the starter for Monday night's second preseason game against the Giants at FirstEnergy Stadium.

In addition to announcing that Osweiler will start, Jackson said DeShone Kizer will come in second, at some point in the first half. Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan will play third and fourth, respectively.

"I still think that right now where we are, Brock deserves the opportunity to walk out there first,'' coach Hue Jackson said. "And I think seeing DeShone, I mean again, last week it was in the second half. I want to see him now in the first half and see what he can do there. I'll give him an opportunity there to showcase his talent and ability.''

Osweiler starting his second straight game increases the likelihood that he'll start the opener against the Steelers, as Thomas predicted today. But Jackson wasn't ready to go there yet.

"It doesn't mean anything for the regular season,'' said Jackson. "This is (for) this game.''

Jackson stressed, however, that whoever starts the dress rehearsal game Aug. 26 in Tampa will likely be his starter for the opener Sept. 10 against the Steelers.

"The major game in the preseason is the third game and hopefully we'll have it all nailed down about exactly where we're headed and where we're going,'' said Jackson. "Whoever trots out there (in the third game) has got a very good chance of trotting out the first game against the Steelers.''

Jackson said he doesn't know if Osweiler's playing time against the Giants on ESPN's nationally-televised Monday Night Football matchup will increase over the four series he played in the 20-14 victory over the Saints.

"I know he's going to walk out there first and it could decrease,'' said Jackson. "Again, I want to see these young guys play quite a bit.''

Jackson stressed he wants to see Kizer against the Giants' better players, which is why he'll play in the first half. Starters typically play a half in the second preseason game and three quarters in the third. Last week, Kizer lit it up with two long fourth-quarter bombs at FirstEnergy Stadium to pull out the victory, but they came in the second half against the Saints third- and fourth-teamers.

"Yes, I do (want to see him in the first half),'' Jackson said. "That's why I'm going to put him out there second."

Jackson said he respects Thomas' opinion that Osweiler will be the man for Sept. 10, but that it doesn't mean it's so.

"Our players all have opinions,'' said Jackson. "Joe's here every day and sees what's going on. That's good that he feels that way. It means that Brock's doing some good things in the locker room and on the field. But at the same time, I think Joe knows I get to make that decision and I do talk to our players because I think it's important.

"Our players know exactly what I'm thinking all the time. But we'll see how that all unfolds. There's a chance that could happen, there's a chance that couldn't happen. We'll see how it all unfolds. We're going to work through it and keep going."

Jackson said Osweiler earned the right to start again with his command of the offense. He's also the only quarterback on the roster to have started and won an NFL game, going 13-8 in the regular season and 1-1 in the playoffs.

"He's done a good job of managing our offense, putting people in the right spots and the right places,'' said Jackson. "Brock's a pro. He's done this. He's not going to get fooled by many things. Obviously he'd be the first to tell you there's some throws he wants to make better, some things he wants to do better and he'll work at those things, but he deserves to go out there first and we'll go from there.''

Thomas shared with Jackson the reasons he believes Osweiler is the better choice.

"He's got the 'it' factor when it comes to being a quarterback,'' said Thomas. "He's got the leadership and the understanding and the communication skills that it takes to be a starting quarterback.

"When he's in the game and when he's in the practice, it's got that feel of an NFL quarterback. He gets in the huddle. He calls the play with enthusiasm and gets everybody to the line of scrimmage quickly, gets everybody organized, he gets the ball, he drops back, he gets where he's supposed to be, he throws the ball on time to where it's supposed to be thrown.''

Thomas added, "It's not always perfect, but that is like the minimum that you have to have to be a good starting quarterback in the NFL. If you can't do that, you can't play in the NFL."

The ball sailed on Osweiler against the Saints and again some this week in practice, but quarterbacks coach David Lee said shortening his stride and avoiding those misfires is a work in progress.

"His lower body's not muscle memory,'' said Lee. "It's so hard because when the bullets start flying, old habits will take over.''

But Lee noted that of all the pros he's coached, including Vinny Testaverde, Drew Bledsoe, Tony Romo, Chad Pennington and Tarvaris Jackson, Osweiler may be better than all of them at the line and in the huddle.