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Jake Trotter, ESPN Staff Writer
The Cleveland Browns agreed to terms with former Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley on a one-year contract for the veterans minimum salary, a source told ESPN on Sunday.
The Browns now have three quarterbacks on their roster behind starter Deshaun Watson. Cleveland signed Jameis Winston last week to be Watson’s backup. The Browns also have Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who started three games as a rookie last season after being a fifth-round selection out of UCLA.
It’s more insurance for the Browns, who had to juggle quarterbacks last season when Watson injured his throwing shoulder and made just six starts, eventually needing surgery. PJ Walker, Thompson-Robinson and Joe Flacco all started games last season when Watson was injured.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said in January that Watson remains on track to return this spring from the surgery he underwent in November.
Huntley has been the Ravens’ primary backup to Lamar Jackson for the past three seasons, with varying degrees of success. Filling in for the injured Jackson, Huntley was 3-7 as a starter for Baltimore, losing his last three starts, including a wild-card playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Undrafted out of Utah in 2022, Huntley showed a lot of promise in four starts in 2021, when he averaged 193 yards passing and 59.7 yards rushing per game. He nearly led Baltimore to an upset win over the Los Angeles Rams, falling to the eventual Super Bowl champions 20-19.
In 2022, Huntley again was pressed into action but struggled with tendinitis in his throwing shoulder as the Ravens averaged 12.3 points in his four regular-season starts. In a 24-17 postseason loss at the Bengals, Huntley made the game’s most critical mistake when he fumbled with the score tied at 17, losing the ball on a leap toward the end zone and having the turnover returned 98 yards for a touchdown by Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard.
In 20 career games, Huntley, 26, has passed for 1,957 yards, throwing 8 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He was a surprise Pro Bowl selection in 2022 after being a fourth alternate. He had just two touchdown passes that season — the fewest for a quarterback selected to the Pro Bowl since the 1970 merger.
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley contributed to this report.
