The Cleveland Browns are no longer the Jameis Winston show.
The veteran quarterback was benched after throwing three interceptions vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, with Dorian Thompson-Robinson taking the reins in his place.
Thompson-Robinson was later appointed as the starter, but it now seems that Winston won’t even be his backup.
According to a report by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the former No. 1 pick is currently dealing with a shoulder injury.
#Browns QB Jameis Winston, who didn't practice much this week because of a shoulder injury, is likely to be the third (emergency) QB tomorrow, source said.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson will start, and Bailey Zappe would be the backup.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 22, 2024
He barely practiced all week, so he will be the team’s third-string/emergency quarterback.
The Browns will then have Bailey Zappe as Thompson-Robinson’s backup.
Needless to say, that’s far from ideal.
Thompson-Robinson has been pretty banged up throughout his career, so there are no guarantees about whether he’s going to be able to get through this game.
Some fans have questioned the Browns’ decision to use Thompson-Robinson to end the season, knowing that he is unlikely to be a starter in this league.
Nevertheless, since this team has been so high on him since they took him out of UCLA, it only makes sense that they examine him before jumping to conclusions and deciding whether to keep him.
Although the Browns have already been eliminated from playoff contention, that doesn’t mean they have nothing to play for.
Draft positioning aside, they can still make sure that the Bengals don’t make the playoffs, and it’s always good to play spoiler against a hated divisional rival.
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