Notre Dame football: Is DeShone Kizer running out of options in the NFL?
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team is looking for answers at quarterback, and one former Irish signal-caller is looking for another job in the NFL.
With the No. 52 overall pick in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns selected former Notre Dame football quarterback DeShone Kizer. During his time with the Irish, Kizer was magnificent under center, throwing for 32 touchdowns against only eight interceptions in his final season on campus, though the team would finish with a 4-8 mark.
At the time, the pick was seen as a steal for the Browns, who saw Kizer blow through the competition during training camp and beat out Brock Osweiler, Kevin Hogan, and Cody Kessler.
Unfortunately for Kizer, his rookie season was more bad than good, as he led the NFL with 22 interceptions, and looked lost at times. In all fairness, he was thrown into the fire as a rookie, but after the team went 0-16 at the helm, he was traded to the Green Bay Packers, ending his one-year run with the team that drafted him.
From there, Kizer would jump around a bit, playing for the Packers for a season, before heading to the Raiders franchise. Las Vegas released Kizer during the 2020 season, and he signed on as a practice squad player with the Titans, though he saw no action.
Notre Dame football star released by Tennessee
On Thursday, the former Irish star was released by the Tennessee Titans, his fourth NFL team since being drafted by the Browns, and he could be running out of chances at the NFL level. Sure, he has incredible physical gifts, but he has failed to hang on in any franchise he has been with, and after losing his spot on the Titans roster to Matt Barkley, he will now be forced to find a new home.
Kizer was once thought of as a can’t-miss quarterback prospect coming out of Notre Dame, but it just has not worked out at the NFL level. Maybe he can latch on with another team, and luckily for him, the preseason is just getting started, meaning he could get into a camp and hang around if he plays well.
We are all pulling for him to get another shot.