After Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Winston suffered his season-ending Achilles injury in October, the Browns turned to veteran quarterback Jameis Winston to handle the offense.
Winston commanded an offense that produced more yards per game than Watson’s offenses, but the Browns failed to win enough games with either quarterback under center.
A poor performance against Kansas City earned Winston a demotion as the Browns elected to start second-year signal-caller Dorian Thompson-Robinson this weekend against the Bengals in the teams’ rematch.
That might not be the only reason Winston is not in the starting lineup, however.
Analyst Camryn Justice reported on Friday that Winston is also dealing with a throwing shoulder issue and is now questionable for Sunday’s contest.
“Browns Kevin Stefanski said Jameis Winston is dealing with right shoulder soreness. They’re working through if he’ll feel good enough to be QB2 on Sunday. If not, it would be Bailey Zappe,” Justice wrote on X.
#Browns Kevin Stefanski said Jameis Winston is dealing with right shoulder soreness. They're working through if he'll feel good enough to be QB2 on Sunday. If not, it would be Bailey Zappe.
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) December 20, 2024
Winston has started seven games for the Browns, going 2-5 in those starts.
The quarterback helped the Browns earn wins against Baltimore and Pittsburgh in two home games.
Through 12 appearances this season, Winston has completed 61.1 percent of his passes for 2,121 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
His turnovers have been his Achilles’ heel in 2024 as he’s also fumbled five times in those appearances.
Cleveland’s decision to turn to Thompson-Robinson will allow the quarterback to audition for the starting role in 2025 as Watson – the Browns’ starter for the last three seasons – is expected to have competition for the role next year.
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