The Cleveland Browns entered last week’s contest against the Cincinnati Bengals with a change in the quarterback ranking.
Following starting quarterback Deshaun Watson was Dorian Thompson-Robinson, marking the first time in 2024 that the second-year quarterback was installed as the No. 2 option behind Watson.
Previously, that spot was held by veteran quarterback Jameis Winston as Thompson-Robinson was the emergency backup for previous contests.
NFL insider Mike Florio believes there was a specific reason for Winston being removed from the No. 2 position in Cleveland’s first home game in nearly a month.
In a “Pro Football Talk” YouTube video, Florio shared his thoughts on the situation as he believes removing Winston from the active lineup would prevent Cleveland fans from asking for a change at the quarterback position.
“(The fans) wanted to see what Jameis Winston could do even though he was curiously demoted to number 3 (quarterback) last week,” Florio said, adding, “First home game in four weeks, everybody wants Jameis Winston, let’s just make him number 3 so all those chants of ‘We want Jameis’ will be meaningless.”
Florio complemented Winston, saying that the veteran “at his very best is a great NFL starter.”
The insider said Winston’s problem is that his moments when he’s not at his best are more prevalent than those times when he is on top of his game.
Florio lumped Winston into a category with multiple mid-tier NFL quarterbacks like Tennessee’s Will Levis and Kansas City’s backup Carson Wentz, players who the insider said can show brilliant moments each week as well as poor moments, too.
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