For six games this season, Jameis Winston served as the backup quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. However, that wasn’t the case Sunday when the Browns hosted the Cincinnati Bengals.
After Deshaun Watson went down with an Achilles injury late in the second quarter, it was Dorian Thompson-Robinson who entered the game instead of Winston. The reason that happened is because the Browns made a surprising decision before the game: They decided to put Winston on the inactive list.
If Watson had been injured at any point during the first six weeks, then Winston would have entered the game because he was Cleveland’s backup, but for some reason, that changed heading into Week 7. For the game against the Bengals, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski decided to promote Thompson-Robinson to the backup spot.
Winston was serving as the emergency third quarterback for the Browns, which means the only way he would be allowed to play against the Bengals is if Thompson-Robinson gets injured and that actually happen late in the fourth quarter. Winston entered the game with just under four minutes left to play and he ended up leading the Browns on a touchdown drive that cut Cincinnati’s lead to 21-14, which is how the game ended.
Overall, Winston finished 5 of 11 for 67 yards and a touchdown.
The question for the Browns now is: What happens next?
The Browns promoted Thompson-Robinson with the expectation that he might eventually play. According to 247 Sports, Watson was going to be on a short leash going forward and DTR had been told to be “extra prepared” in case he had to play.
With Watson suffering an Achilles injury — an injury that will sideline him for the rest of the season if it’s a torn Achilles — it will be interesting to see what Cleveland does at quarterback. The team is obviously high on Thompson-Robinson, who was taken in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but Winston would surely like a shot to be the team’s starting QB for the rest of the season if Watson can’t play.
