The 3-11 Cleveland Browns are limping into a matchup on Sunday with the Cincinnati Bengals and will be starting Dorian Thompson-Robinson at quarterback for the first time this year.
Jameis Winston was benched after throwing three interceptions last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, and DTR will now get another chance to prove himself.
However, he’ll have to do it without many of Cleveland’s regulars, as seven players were listed as inactive before kickoff.
Cleveland announced on X that the seven inactive players include Winston, who will serve as the emergency third quarterback, wide receiver Cedric Tillman, cornerbacks Kahlef Hailassie and Chigozie Anusiem, tight end Brenden Bates, defensive tackle Shelby Harris, and defensive end Cameron Thomas.
Our inactives for Week 16 against the Bengals pic.twitter.com/UrdWGfh2LH
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 22, 2024
Bailey Zappe will serve as the team’s backup QB on Sunday, but all the focus will be on DTR, who is in his second year as a fifth-round pick out of UCLA and has to prove himself.
DTR has appeared in 12 games over his two seasons and completed just 51.4 percent of his 146 passes for 540 yards and one touchdown with seven interceptions.
This will be the fourth consecutive game Tillman will miss due to his concussion against the Pittsburgh Steelers in mid-November.
Harris and Thomas being out will make for a thin defensive line against Joe Burrow and this high-octane passing attack, so it will be interesting to see if everyone else can hold up and limit the damage.
Injuries have been nothing new for the Browns this year, and fans are just hoping to see a few signs of life down the stretch to generate any sort of momentum heading into the offseason.
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