Mike Pettine: Brian Hoyer staying put

BEREA, Ohio -- The addition of quarterback Rex Grossman to the Cleveland Browns does not make Brian Hoyer expendable, coach Mike Pettine said Tuesday.

"Absolutely not" was Pettine's response when asked that question.

Pettine was just as adamant that Grossman's addition does not mean the Browns are at all unhappy with the way things have gone with Hoyer and Johnny Manziel as they compete to be the Browns' starter.

Grossman was signed Tuesday and Tyler Thigpen was released. Grossman, who lives in the Miami area, said he tried out for the Dolphins last week.

He watched Browns practice in shorts and saw Manziel take the first-team reps and Hoyer take the second, with Hoyer clearly having the better day. Pettine said the Browns will decide who will start the second preseason game, Monday night at Washington (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) on the team's off day Thursday. On Tuesday, he said it was "overblown" who starts because the plan is to give Hoyer and Manziel the same amount of time with the starters.

"The bottom line coming out of the game is they both should get equal reps with the ones," Pettine said.

How the reps are divided will be determined Thursday.

Grossman spent the past four seasons with Washington, running and studying the same offensive system that Kyle Shanahan runs with the Browns. The 34-year-old veteran balked at the description that he'd been brought in as Manziel's personal tutor.

But Pettine said Grossman's knowledge of the offense could help all the quarterbacks, and almost described Hoyer as a "veteran rookie" because he'd been in the league a few years with only four starts.

Pettine said it had not been determined whether the Browns would keep three quarterbacks -- a surprise, given that most teams do, and given that many teams go through multiple quarterbacks during a season.

"We haven't gotten to that," Pettine said. "That will also depend on where we are with the rest of the roster."