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 presence, saying he “gave [Thompson-Robinson] a chance and give him a whole week to prepare as a starter. So that’s what went into the decision.”
“A young player who has really improved in every area,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters at Thompson-Robinson. “He’s done a really good job of educating himself on all the nuances of the position. He’s done a really good job of keeping himself prepared for when he’s put there. So he’s really taken the preparation to heart .” some of this very well.”
The ascension of Thompson-Robinson, the 2023 5th-round pick also known as DTR, ends Winston’s time as the 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 tendon, and has started every game since.
During the seven games Winston started after Watson went down, he showed flashes of brilliance at times, throwing for 2,038 yards and 13 touchdowns. But the 12 interceptions he threw were a big part of his downfall, especially recently. Over the past three games, all of which were Browns losses, Winston has thrown eight interceptions.
Now DTR will get a chance to fully prepare to be Sunday’s starter this week after replacing Winston in 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 that if he plays well on Sunday.
