# List of Cleveland Browns starting quarterbacks

The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division.
Since joining the NFL in 1950, the Browns have had 67 quarterbacks start in at least one game for the team. Pro Football Hall of Famer Otto Graham led the Browns to three NFL championships in their first six seasons in the league.
After resuming play in 1999 following a three-year suspension of operations, the franchise has been notable for its instability at the quarterback position. From 1999 through end of the 2024 season, the team has had 40 players start at quarterback, with only three seasons (2001 with Tim Couch, 2019 and 2020 with Baker Mayfield) in which the same quarterback started every game.

## Starters per season

The number of regular season games each player started during the season is listed to the right.
| Season(s) | Quarterback(s) |
| 1946 | Otto Graham (11) / Cliff Lewis (3) |
| 1947 | Otto Graham (9) / Cliff Lewis (5) |
| 1948 | Otto Graham (14) |
| 1949 | Otto Graham (11) / Cliff Lewis (1) |
| 1950 | Otto Graham (12) |
| 1951 | Otto Graham (12) |
| 1952 | Otto Graham (12) |
| 1953 | Otto Graham (11) / George Ratterman (1) |
| 1954 | Otto Graham (12) |
| 1955 | Otto Graham (12) |
| 1956 | Tommy O'Connell (5) / George Ratterman (4) / Babe Parilli (3) |
| 1957 | Tommy O'Connell (9) / Milt Plum (3) |
| 1958 | Milt Plum (12) |
| 1959 | Milt Plum (12) |
| 1960 | Milt Plum (12) |
| 1961 | Milt Plum (13) / Len Dawson (1) |
| 1962 | Jim Ninowski (7) / Frank Ryan (7) |
| 1963 | Frank Ryan (13) / Jim Ninowski (1) |
| 1964 | Frank Ryan (14) |
| 1965 | Frank Ryan (12) / Jim Ninowski (2) |
| 1966 | Frank Ryan (14) |
| 1967 | Frank Ryan (13) / Gary Lane (1) |
| 1968 | Bill Nelsen (11) / Frank Ryan (3) |
| 1969 | Bill Nelsen (14) |
| 1970 | Bill Nelsen (12) / Mike Phipps (1) / Don Gault (1) |
| 1971 | Bill Nelsen (13) / Mike Phipps (1) |
| 1972 | Mike Phipps (13) / Bill Nelsen (1) |
| 1973 | Mike Phipps (14) |
| 1974 | Mike Phipps (9) / Brian Sipe (5) |
| 1975 | Mike Phipps (11) / Brian Sipe (2) / Will Cureton (1) |
| 1976 | Brian Sipe (14) / Mike Phipps (2) |
| 1977 | Brian Sipe (9) / Dave Mays (4) / Terry Luck (1) |
| 1978 | Brian Sipe (16) |
| 1979 | Brian Sipe (16) |
| 1980 | Brian Sipe (16) |
| 1981 | Brian Sipe (16) |
| 1982 | Brian Sipe (6) / Paul McDonald (3) |
| 1983 | Brian Sipe (14) / Paul McDonald (2) |
| 1984 | Paul McDonald (16) |
| 1985 | Bernie Kosar (10) / Gary Danielson (6) |
| 1986 | Bernie Kosar (16) |
| 1987 | Bernie Kosar (12) / Jeff Christensen (2) / Gary Danielson (1) |
| 1988 | Bernie Kosar (9) / Mike Pagel (4) / Don Strock (2) / Gary Danielson (1) |
| 1989 | Bernie Kosar (16) |
| 1990 | Bernie Kosar (13) / Mike Pagel (3) |
| 1991 | Bernie Kosar (16) |
| 1992 | Mike Tomczak (8) / Bernie Kosar (7) / Todd Philcox (1) |
| 1993 | Bernie Kosar (7) / Vinny Testaverde (6) / Todd Philcox (3) |
| 1994 | Vinny Testaverde (13) / Mark Rypien (3) |
| 1995 | Vinny Testaverde (12) / Eric Zeier (4) |
| 1996–1998 | Suspended operations |
| 1999 | Tim Couch (14) / Ty Detmer (2) |
| 2000 | Doug Pederson (8) / Tim Couch (7) / Spergon Wynn (1) |
| 2001 | Tim Couch (16) |
| 2002 | Tim Couch (14) / Kelly Holcomb (2) |
| 2003 | Kelly Holcomb (8) / Tim Couch (8) |
| 2004 | Jeff Garcia (10) / Luke McCown (4) / Kelly Holcomb (2) |
| 2005 | Trent Dilfer (11) / Charlie Frye (5) |
| 2006 | Charlie Frye (13) / Derek Anderson (3) |
| 2007 | Derek Anderson (15) / Charlie Frye (1) |
| 2008 | Derek Anderson (9) / Brady Quinn (3) / Ken Dorsey (3) / Bruce Gradkowski (1) |
| 2009 | Brady Quinn (9) / Derek Anderson (7) |
| 2010 | Colt McCoy (8) / Jake Delhomme (4) / Seneca Wallace (4) |
| 2011 | Colt McCoy (13) / Seneca Wallace (3) |
| 2012 | Brandon Weeden (15) / Thad Lewis (1) |
| 2013 | Jason Campbell (8) / Brandon Weeden (5) / Brian Hoyer (3) |
| 2014 | Brian Hoyer (13) / Johnny Manziel (2) / Connor Shaw (1) |
| 2015 | Josh McCown (8) / Johnny Manziel (6) / Austin Davis (2) |
| 2016 | Cody Kessler (8) / Robert Griffin III (5) / Josh McCown (3) |
| 2017 | DeShone Kizer (15) / Kevin Hogan (1) |
| 2018 | Baker Mayfield (13) / Tyrod Taylor (3) |
| 2019 | Baker Mayfield (16) |
| 2020 | Baker Mayfield (16) |
| 2021 | Baker Mayfield (14) / Case Keenum (2) / Nick Mullens (1) |
| 2022 | Jacoby Brissett (11) / Deshaun Watson (6) |
| 2023 | Deshaun Watson (6) / Joe Flacco (5) / Dorian Thompson-Robinson (3) / P. J. Walker (2) / Jeff Driskel (1) |
| 2024 | Jameis Winston (7) / Deshaun Watson (7) / Dorian Thompson-Robinson (2) / Bailey Zappe (1) |

## Most games started

Quarterbacks who have started for the Cleveland Browns from the team's first NFL season of 1950 to present. A player is credited with a win if he started the game and the team won that game, no matter if the player was injured or permanently removed after the first play from scrimmage. Only regular season games are included. The Browns' All-America Football Conference games from 1946 to 1949 are not included. The Browns did not field a team from 1996 to 1998.
Sorted by number of starts. Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in italics and most recent starter in bold.
| Quarterback | Games started | Wins | Losses | Ties | Winning pct. |
| Brian Sipe | 112 | 57 | 55 | 0 | .509 |
| Bernie Kosar | 105 | 53 | 51 | 1 | .510 |
| Frank Ryan | 76 | 52 | 22 | 2 | .697 |
| Otto Graham | 71 | 57 | 13 | 1 | .810 |
| Tim Couch | 59 | 22 | 37 | 0 | .373 |
| Baker Mayfield | 59 | 29 | 30 | 0 | .492 |
| Bill Nelsen | 51 | 34 | 16 | 1 | .676 |
| Mike Phipps | 51 | 24 | 25 | 2 | .490 |
| Milt Plum | 51 | 33 | 16 | 2 | .667 |
| Derek Anderson | 34 | 16 | 18 | 0 | .471 |
| Vinny Testaverde | 31 | 16 | 15 | 0 | .516 |
| Paul McDonald | 21 | 8 | 13 | 0 | .381 |
| Colt McCoy | 21 | 6 | 15 | 0 | .286 |
| Brandon Weeden | 20 | 5 | 15 | 0 | .250 |
| Deshaun Watson | 19 | 9 | 10 | 0 | .474 |
| Charlie Frye | 19 | 6 | 13 | 0 | .316 |
| Brian Hoyer | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 |
| DeShone Kizer | 15 | 0 | 15 | 0 | .000 |
| Tommy O'Connell | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | .750 |
| Kelly Holcomb | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 |
| Brady Quinn | 12 | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 |
| Jim Ninowski | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | .455 |
| Trent Dilfer | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 |
| Jacoby Brissett | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 |
| Josh McCown | 11 | 1 | 10 | 0 | .091 |
| Jeff Garcia | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | .300 |
| Gary Danielson | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 |
| Mike Tomczak | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 |
| Doug Pederson | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | .125 |
| Jason Campbell | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | .125 |
| Johnny Manziel | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 |
| Cody Kessler | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .000 |
| Mike Pagel | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | .286 |
| Seneca Wallace | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | .143 |
| Jameis Winston | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | .286 |
| George Ratterman | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 |
| Todd Philcox | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 |
| Robert Griffin III | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 |
| Joe Flacco | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | .800 |
| Dorian Thompson-Robinson | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 |
| Jake Delhomme | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 |
| Dave Mays | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 |
| Eric Zeier | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 |
| Luke McCown | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 |
| Babe Parilli | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 |
| Mark Rypien | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 |
| Ken Dorsey | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 |
| Tyrod Taylor | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .500 |
| Don Strock | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Jeff Christensen | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 |
| Ty Detmer | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 |
| Austin Davis | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 |
| Case Keenum | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| P. J. Walker | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 |
| Don Gault | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Gary Lane | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Len Dawson | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Spergon Wynn | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Terry Luck | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Will Cureton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Bruce Gradkowski | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Thaddeus Lewis | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Connor Shaw | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Kevin Hogan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Nick Mullens | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Jeff Driskel | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Bailey Zappe | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |

## Team career passing records

As of Week 18 of the 2024 NFL season. Completion percentage and passer rating records are for players with at least 1500 pass attempts for the Browns.
* Most yards: Brian Sipe – 23,713
* Most touchdowns: Otto Graham – 174
* Most interceptions: Brian Sipe – 149
* Highest completion percentage: Baker Mayfield – 61.6%
* Highest passer rating: Baker Mayfield – 87.8

## Postseason

These Browns quarterbacks started during the postseason.
| Season(s) | Quarterback(s) |
| 1946 | Otto Graham (1–0) |
| 1947 | Otto Graham (1–0) |
| 1948 | Otto Graham (1–0) |
| 1949 | Otto Graham (2–0) |
| 1950 | Otto Graham (2–0) |
| 1951 | Otto Graham (0–1) |
| 1952 | Otto Graham (0–1) |
| 1953 | Otto Graham (0–1) |
| 1954 | Otto Graham (1–0) |
| 1955 | Otto Graham (1–0) |
| 1957 | Tommy O'Connell (0–1) |
| 1958 | Milt Plum (0–1) |
| 1964 | Frank Ryan (1–0) |
| 1965 | Frank Ryan (0–1) |
| 1967 | Frank Ryan (0–1) |
| 1968 | Bill Nelsen (1–1) |
| 1969 | Bill Nelsen (1–1) |
| 1971 | Bill Nelsen (0–1) |
| 1972 | Mike Phipps (0–1) |
| 1980 | Brian Sipe (0–1) |
| 1982 | Paul McDonald (0–1) |
| 1985 | Bernie Kosar (0–1) |
| 1986 | Bernie Kosar (1–1) |
| 1987 | Bernie Kosar (1–1) |
| 1988 | Don Strock (0–1) |
| 1989 | Bernie Kosar (1–1) |
| 1994 | Vinny Testaverde (1–1) |
| 2002 | Kelly Holcomb (0–1) |
| 2020 | Baker Mayfield (1–1) |
| 2023 | Joe Flacco (0–1) |

### Pro Bowl selections

These Browns starting quarterbacks have been selected to the Pro Bowl.
| Quarterback | Season(s) selected |
| Otto Graham | 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 |
| Tommy O'Connell | 1957 |
| Milt Plum | 1960, 1961 |
| Frank Ryan | 1964, 1965, 1966 |
| Bill Nelsen | 1969 |
| Brian Sipe | 1980 |
| Bernie Kosar | 1987 |
| Derek Anderson | 2007 |