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Quarterback Drew Stanton has agreed to a contract with the Cleveland Browns, the team announced Sunday. Terms were not disclosed but his agent, Mike McCartney, tweeted that his client received a two-year deal. Stanton becomes the second quarterback added by the Browns this offseason, joining Tyrod Taylor, who was acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Bills and is expected to start this season. The Browns are also expected to draft a quarterback in next month's NFL draft, possibly with the No. 1 overall pick. The Browns also own the No. 4 pick in the first round. The team has said that if it selects a quarterback in the draft, it would prefer that he doesn't play this season. A career backup, Stanton, 33, started 13 games in five seasons with the Arizona Cardinals while filling in for an injured Carson Palmer. Stanton adds another veteran to the Browns quarterback group; if healthy, he would figure to back up Taylor. Stanton's signing may not bode well for Cody Kessler's future in Cleveland. Four of those starts came in 2017 after Palmer broke an arm in Week 7. Stanton went 3-1 as a starter last season and was 9-4 overall with Arizona. Last season, Stanton was injured in Week 10 and was replaced by Blaine Gabbert for five games, but he reclaimed the starting job for the final two games, including a 26-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Bruce Arians' last game as coach. After the season, receiver Larry Fitzgerald said Stanton had been playing with a torn ACL, which the quarterback denied. However, Stanton did say in February that he's dealing with a bone bruise. Before his start in Week 2 of the 2014 season, Stanton had gone 1,365 days between regular-season appearances. He played for the Detroit Lions from 2008 to 2010, appearing in 12 games. In 2008, Stanton threw 17 passes with no starts for the winless Lions. He now joins a Browns team that went winless in 2017. ESPN's Josh Weinfuss contributed to this report.
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