CALEB-HANIE-HOR.JPG

Caleb Hanie, shown with the Chicago Bears in 2011, will be joining the Browns.

(AP file)

CLEVELAND -- With quarterbacks Brandon Weeden and Jason Campbell still both concussed, the Browns have signed free agent quarterback Caleb Hanie, a sixth-year pro.

Campbell and Weeden have yet to be cleared for practice, and per terms of the NFL concussion protocol, an independent doctor must do so.

The starter for Sunday's game against the 9-3 Patriots has yet to be determined, according to a team spokesman.

The choices are Campbell and Weeden if they're cleared, second-year pro Alex Tanney who was signed last week off the Cowboys practice squad, and Hanie.

The Browns checked out Hanie last week, but opted for Tanney instead. To make room for Hanie on the roster, the Browns placed linebacker Brandon Magee on injured reserve with a pectoral injury.

Hanie, 28, backed up Jay Cutler for four seasons and sat behind Peyton Manning in Denver last season.

He was signed by the Ravens in April, but he was cut in August and has been out of football ever since. If it comes down to Hanie or Tanney, Hanie might get the nod based on the fact he's started four NFL games and Tanney has only played in preseason.

Originally, signed as an undrafted free agent by the Bears in 2008 out of Colorado State, Hanie started all four games in place of Cutler in 2011, going 0-4. In 10 career appearances, he's thrown three TD passes and 10 interceptions for a 41.6 rating. He's also completed 59 of 116 passes (50.9 percent).

Campbell and Weeden will be re-evaluated again Tuesday, and the Browns will know more Wednesday about who will start Sunday against the Patriots.

Coach Rob Chudzinski said Monday that starting a street free agent is one of the possibilities and that all "are open right now.''

Monday afternoon, league sources said Campbell and Weeden were both hoping to be cleared to start. Weeden suffered his concussion during Sunday's 32-28 loss to the Jaguars and Campbell suffered his Nov. 24 against the Steelers.

“Jason’s getting better,'' Chudzinski said Monday. "We'll see how he progresses in the next couple of days.''

Might he be cleared to practice on Wednesday?

“It goes by a day-to-day basis, so we’ll have to see,'' said Chudzinski.

The list of free agent quarterbacks besides Hanie, according to thesidelineview.com, includes Vince Young, Matt Leinart, Tyler Thigpen, Byron Leftwich, David Carr, Tim Tebow, Trent Edwards, Charlie Batch, John Beck, Mike Kafka, JaMarcus Russell, Graham Harrell, B.J. Coleman, Pat White, Nathan Enderle, John Parker Wilson, Levi Brown and Jerrod Johnson.

The Browns kicked the tires on five-year veteran Hanie and other quarterbacks last week, but opted for trickshot artist Tanney instead. A second-year pro out of Division III Monmouth College, Tanney spent the 2012 season on the Chiefs' injured reserve list with a finger injury, but made an impression on current Browns assistant general manager Ray Farmer, who was in Kansas City last season.

"If Alex (Tanney) is the guy, then we’ll have him ready and have him working and he’ll have a package that he can be successful with,'' said Chudzinski.

If both Campbell and Weeden are cleared, Campbell would most likely start ahead of Weeden, who threw for a career-high 370 yards against Jacksonville but also committed three costly turnovers at the end of the second quarter that led to 13 points and a 20-14 Jaguars lead at the break.

“Let’s let these next couple of days sort themselves out and we’ll look where everybody is at that point,'' Chudzinski said.

Chudzinski said he could push the decision on a starter to Wednesday if he had to.

“We can wait,'' Chudzinski said. "We have a few days to let it sort it out and we’ll have to know something by the time we get into practice time.

Hanie finished his career at CSU fifth in Mountain West history with 39 touchdown passes and seventh with 6,523 total yards.

Magee appeared in eight games and recorded three special-teams tackles.