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Browns' Jackson: 'Way too early' for talk of Kizer starting at QB

Ken Blaze / USA TODAY Sports

As momentum continues to mount for DeShone Kizer, the Cleveland Browns are making a clear effort to avoid rushing their second-round rookie.

Head coach Hue Jackson indicated following Thursday's preseason opener that, despite a strong debut, the young quarterback still has a long way to go.

"I think it's way too early to talk about that," Jackson said, according to Tony Grossi of ESPN. "Let's see it for what it was: the guy made some plays at the end to give us a chance to win, but there's still things he needs to do better. I'm sure he's the first to tell there's so many things to clean up. He's got a lot of work to do, but a night like tonight will give him confidence."

Following up the promising reports from training camp, Kizer finished his first NFL action with completions on 11-of-18 attempts for 184 yards and one touchdown. The lone score ended up being the difference in the victory over the New Orleans Saints, as he found Jordan Payton from 45 yards out with less than two minutes to play.

Cleveland presumably won't make a decision on the starting quarterback job anytime soon, and Kizer may well have entered the summer as an underdog to both Brock Osweiler and Cody Kessler.

The Notre Dame product is certainly off to a good start, though, and how he performs from this point forward will make for one of the league's most intriguing preseason storylines.

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