The Cleveland Browns have named rookie DeShone Kizer their starting quarterback for Saturday's third preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It's the latest indication that Kizer is the favorite to start for the Browns in Week 1.

"He has made a lot of progress by investing the time necessary to learn our offense, working hard to improve on his fundamentals while also effectively moving the offense in preseason games," Hue Jackson said of the rookie.

"Development is so important for a young quarterback, this is the next step he needs to take and he deserves this opportunity. We are very excited about seeing DeShone in the role of starter for this week, as he is certainly positioning himself well to earn the starting job heading into the regular season."