Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski made the team’s quarterback change official on Wednesday: Dorian Thompson-Robinson will start Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, and Jameis Winston will be on the bench as QB2.
Stefanski announced the news during his media availability, saying he “wanted to give [Thompson-Robinson] an opportunity and give him an entire week to prepare as a starter. So, that’s what went into the decision.”
“A young player that’s really gotten better in every area,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters of Thompson-Robinson. “He’s done a very, very good job of getting up to speed on all the nuance of the position. He’s done a very good job of keeping himself prepared for when a moment comes that he’s being put in there. So he’s really taken the preparation part of this really well.”
The ascension of Thompson-Robinson, the 2023 5th-round pick who is also known as DTR, ends Winston’s time as starting QB. Winston replaced Deshaun Watson midway through the Browns’ Week 7 game against the Cincinnati Bengals when Watson went down with a torn achilles, and has started every game since.
Over the seven games Winston started after Watson went down, he showed flashes of brilliance at times, throwing for for 2,038 yards and 13 touchdowns. But the 12 interceptions he threw were a major part of his undoing, especially recently. Over the past three games, which have all been Browns losses, Winston has thrown eight interceptions.
Now DTR will have a chance to fully prep this week to be Sunday’s starter after replacing Winston during Week 15’s losing effort against the Kansas City Chiefs. While Stefanski didn’t discuss the starting QB for Weeks 17 and 18 on Wednesday, Thompson-Robinson has a decent chance to start those if he plays well Sunday.