The Cleveland Browns spent the past few days deciding between DeShone Kizer and Kevin Hogan as the team’s starting quarterback for this Sunday’s game at Houston.

Deshaun Watson will start for the Texans.

Watson joins a long list of guys who “could have been Browns.” In a nightmare scenario that often seems to happen to the team from Cleveland, the Browns will face one of the quarterbacks they could have taken in April’s draft after a week spent deciding between two guys who started training camp as third and fourth on the depth chart. By the way, Hogan got the nod Wednesday.

It’s a similar scenario to a year ago, when the Browns traded the draft pick used to take Carson Wentz to the Eagles, then saw Wentz beat them in the opener.

Watson leads the league in Total QBR. Wentz is third.

Kizer, the guy the Browns selected to start the season and the guy coach Hue Jackson praised effusively, is last. And the Browns are 0-5.

It’s these kinds of tales that have Browns fans ripping up their jerseys -- and perhaps their future season-ticket orders -- because it’s a recurring theme. Going all the way back to 2004, the Browns have bypassed quarterbacks who have gone on to have success with other teams.

The seminal moment in this history took place in the ’04 draft. Ben Roethlisberger grew up in Ohio and played collegiately in Ohio. He was right down the road.

But with few exceptions, then-coach Butch Davis had a habit of drafting only players he had a) coached, b) recruited or c) played against at the University of Miami.

Roethlisberger came from the MAC, and Davis privately told people with the Browns he was not a fan.

Davis preferred two Miami players he had recruited: safety Sean Taylor or tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. With Roethlisberger watching in the draft room in New York, Davis tried unsuccessfully to trade up to get Taylor, then selected Winslow.

The Steelers happily took Roethlisberger, and Davis cast his lot with Jeff Garcia, who lasted one 4-12 season in Cleveland.

Bypassing Roethlisberger continues to torment the Browns, especially since he plays right down the turnpike.

Since that draft, the Browns have gone 62-151 and have not been in a single playoff game. The Steelers have not had a losing season, have been to the playoffs nine times, played in the Super Bowl three times and won two.

Roethlisberger against the Browns is 21-2 as a starter, and 1-0 when he came off the bench in a game in which he wasn’t supposed to play.

To say the Browns haven’t recovered from that draft is accurate. But that’s just one pick that "could have been" that has held the Browns back. Yes, going back through drafts is the easiest second guess in the world. Every team has its misses, and every team in the league missed on Tom Brady five times.

But in the Browns' world, when the quarterback position has been such a mystery, missing on quarterback after quarterback is befuddling -- at best.

Here’s a look back, in reverse order, at guys who could have been Browns from each draft -- going only into the first two rounds.

2017

Could have had: Mitchell Trubisky, Watson

Took: DeShone Kizer (second round)

It’s tough to criticize the Browns for taking Myles Garrett over Trubisky with the first overall pick, but when the Bears took Trubisky second and Kansas City took Patrick Mahomes II 10th, the Browns were sitting at the 12th spot with Watson coming off a glittering college career and national championship upset win over Alabama. Cleveland chose instead to make a trade with Houston that got them the Texans’ first-round pick in 2018 along with Houston’s first-round pick in 2017, which became safety Jabrill Peppers. The long-term success of this deal will be determined, but Watson had the highest Total QBR in each of the past two weeks and has three of the top 11 this season. For the season, Watson is No. 1 in the NFL in QBR and Kizer is last.

2016

Could have had: Jared Goff, Wentz

Took: Cody Kessler (third round)

Acquiring Goff would have taken an aggressive move, but the Browns ranked Goff the top quarterback in the draft and were not aggressive in pursuing him. The Rams were, and they are happy with their decision, as Goff has shown improvement this season. He ranks seventh in passing yards and has seven touchdowns to three interceptions. Wentz is the real guy the Browns could have had, as they traded that pick to the Eagles. Philadelphia is ecstatic they have Wentz. On Sunday, Kizer was benched and Wentz threw four touchdown passes. He has 10 TDs this season, sixth in the league, and is completing 62.2 percent of his passes with a rating of 97.7. He was a gimme at the second overall pick.

2014

Could have had: Teddy Bridgewater, Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo

Took: Johnny Manziel (first round)

This decision set the Browns back years -- the two years they wasted on Manziel, plus the extra time it takes to find and develop a guy. Bridgewater was doing good things until he was sidelined by a serious knee injury. Carr -- the choice of Joe Banner and others in the organization before they were fired -- has been outstanding in Oakland. And the Browns tried to pry Garoppolo from the Patriots via trade in the offseason. Manziel is out of football.

2012

Could have had: Robert Griffin III

Took: Brandon Weeden (first round)

The Browns tried to trade up with the Rams to get the pick that turned out to be Griffin, but the Redskins won the bidding and Mike Holmgren was left futilely trying to explain what happened on a conference call with season-ticket holders. No, Griffin did not sustain success in Washington. But the Browns did not have a quarterback when they could not complete this deal. They wound up with Weeden, who became a victim of the Browns’ churning quarterback meat grinder.

2011

Could have had: Andy Dalton, Colin Kaepernick

This was the draft the Browns traded out of the Julio Jones slot and took defensive lineman Phil Taylor. Jones is one of the best players in the league. As for the second-round quarterbacks, there hasn’t been much outcry about them. But Dalton has won 58 games and has been to the playoffs five times as a starter, and Kaepernick played in a Super Bowl and twice played in the NFC Championship Game. The Browns had Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace.

2009

Could have had: Mark Sanchez

The significance of Sanchez? The Browns traded the pick to the Jets so they could take him. His career has withered, but he did play in two AFC Championship Games.

2005

Could have had: Aaron Rodgers, Jason Campbell

Took: Charlie Frye (third round)

A lot of teams missed on Rodgers, as he dropped to Green Bay with the 24th pick. The Browns weren’t interested in him because they had traded for Trent Dilfer. Instead of taking a quarterback, they took receiver Braylon Edwards third.

2004

Could have had: Roethlisberger

Enough said.