The Cleveland Browns have made a stunning roster move at quarterback amid calls for head coach Kevin Stefanski to bench struggling quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, second-stringer Jameis Winston was listed as inactive for Sunday’s home game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The team promoted third-stringer Dorian Thompson-Robinson to the No. 2 QB position, so he would come in for Watson if Stefanski made a change.
Entering Sunday’s game, Watson lost five of six starts and completed only 61.3 percent of pass attempts for 1,020 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. Watson was held to under 200 passing yards in all six games.
It’s certainly a surprise that the Browns are choosing Thompson-Robinson as a backup option in favor of Winston. The 2015 first-overall pick has 80 career starts and 97 game appearances of experiences with 22,120 yards and 141 touchdowns.
“Jameis Winston should be the starting quarterback.”@PriscoCBS pic.twitter.com/2qqkgN0i5j
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 20, 2024
Thompson-Robinson started three games last season with Deshaun Watson missing most of the year. He threw for 440 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions in those games, prompting the team to bring in eventual Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco.
The Browns made the ignorant decision to let Flacco walk in free agency, even though he guided them to the playoffs last year. Now, they’re paying the price.
Deshaun Watson Trade Continues To Destroy The Team
Cleveland took a giant risk two years ago by acquiring Deshaun Watson in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Texans despite his legal issues. They then handed him $230 million in guaranteed before he ever played a snap for them, making this the worst contract in league history by a country mile.
Watson’s contract structure means the Browns can’t get rid of him in 2025. But given how much he’s struggled, the front office has an easy call to draft a new quarterback in 2025 and sit Watson until they can get rid of his contract.
