Browns send Quarterback Kessler to Jaguars for draft pick

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Browns have traded former starting quarterback Cody Kessler to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
 
   Cleveland will get back a conditional seventh-round pick in 2019 for Kessler, who started eight games as a rookie in 2016 but has been sliding down Cleveland's depth chart.
 
   Kessler sat behind rookie DeShone Kizer and Kevin Hogan last season, and his days with the Browns appeared numbered when the club traded Kizer to Green Bay and acquired Tyrod Taylor in a deal with Buffalo. The Browns are also expected to use the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft on a quarterback.
 
   The Browns were criticized for passing on other QBs and selecting Kessler in the third round in 2016. Coach Hue Jackson defended the pick by saying, "Trust me."
 
   Kessler was forced into the lineup because of injuries and struggled while passing for 1,506 yards and six touchdowns in his eight starts.

Associated Press