Sep 21, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer (6) at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Brian Hoyer not only deserves to be the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback for the rest of 2014 season, but the franchise must start preparing to make the lifelong backup its starter for the foreseeable future.

Hoyer will be an unrestricted free agent when the current campaign ends, but it would be borderline absurd for the Browns to wait that long to extend the Michigan State product. Now, in all fairness to the Browns, it takes two to tango, and Hoyer may want to play the season out, in hopes of cashing in on the open market.

Browns fans only need to look as far back as training camp, when questions around Hoyer’s contract were raised. His agent, Joe Linta, stated the obvious, when he talked about his client being most valuable come January, when desperate teams will print money to be hire a competent quarterback.

However, Linta’s comments don’t mean Hoyer will resist any negotiations, as he told Siriux/XM radio around that same time he didn’t know if a new contract would come “Today, tomorrow, or Ground Hog’s Day.”

But Browns general manager Ray Farmer and coach Mike Pettine need to start asking themselves, when the right time to commit to Hoyer would be, because, despite Hoyer’s ties to the area, no Browns fans should want to see him reach free agency, where anything can happen.

Through his first three games, Hoyer’s completed 64.2 percent of his passes, while leading the offense to 24.2 points per game, without Pro Bowlers Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron (for the most part). His 97.5 passer rating is the 11th best in the NFL. The last Brown to play a season with a passer rating in the 90s? Try Bernie Kosar, who in 1987, posted a 95.4 rating.

In more recent memory, Derek Anderson‘s 2007 season witnessed the best passer rating (82.5) of any Browns quarterback since the franchise was restarted in 1999.

There’s that name: Anderson. The dynamic between Hoyer and Johnny Manziel and Anderson and Brady Quinn is eerily similar. Both Hoyer and Anderson were supposed to be bridges to rookie franchise quarterbacks.

But in 2007, Phil Savage overreacted, signed Anderson to an extension, and Quinn never developed. Anderson fell on his face, and the franchise hasn’t started to recover until now.

However, the prospect of keeping Manziel on the bench shouldn’t alter any potential decision regarding Hoyer’s future. There’s no rule that says Manziel has to play. Some MVP named Aaron Rodgers sat for three years behind Brett Favre before finally getting his chance to start in 2008.

Hoyer should inspire more confidence in Browns’ fans than Anderson did. DA had the power arm, but didn’t pass the ear test. Listen to Anderson, and then listen to Hoyer, and it should be obvious that Hoyer has the higher football IQ.

Sep 14, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer (6) and quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) stretch before a game against the New Orleans Saints at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports

But if quantifiable evidence is what you need to feel better about Hoyer, look no further than Anderson’s horrific accuracy. He’s never completed more than 56.5 percent of his passes in regular work as a starter, and that was during his career year of 2007. In his last regular work as a starter, he completed 51.7 percent of his passes in nine starters for the Panthers in 2010.

Hoyer is still an unknown commodity, and doesn’t possess Anderson’s number of snaps to make a fair comparison. Hoyer’s lifetime completion percentage is 61 percent. Perhaps most importantly, Hoyer protects the ball (zero interceptions), makes multiple reads, and gets rid of the ball quickly. That couldn’t always be said of Anderson, who tosses an interception once every 27 attempts.

The next five-game stretch will make life interesting for the Browns’ front office, especially if Hoyer can keep pace with the numbers he posted entering the Bye Week.

Five weeks from now, he could also have the Browns sitting at 6-3, considering the number of winnable games ahead on the schedule.

If he’s among the top half of quarterbacks in the league by Week 10, the Browns should seriously consider making it worth Hoyer’s while to sign an extension in-season. Manziel can stay a backup and continue to develop, or the Browns can deal him for assets.

The Browns have been searching for a quarterback since Kosar, and all indications signal they’ve found their leader in Hoyer. Now’s not the time to risk letting him walk away.