Report: 'A Lot of Chatter' Browns Could Bench Jameis Winston for Thompson-Robinson

Leading the Cleveland Browns to victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers last Thursday might not have been enough to guarantee quarterback Jameis Winston the starting job for the rest of the 2024 season.

According to ESPN's Dan Graziano, there is "a lot of chatter" that the Browns might put backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson on the field "to see whether and how he might fit into their future QB plans."

"Don't be surprised to see Thompson-Robinson get a start or two before the season is over," Graziano wrote.

Winston has led the Browns to a 4-4 record since Deshaun Watson's season-ending Achilles injury. Thompson-Robinson made his season debut when he stepped in after Watson's injury in Week 7, going 11-of-24 for 82 yards with two picks in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Thompson-Robinson suffered a finger injury during that game, and the Browns turned to Winston in Week 8.

Winston responded by putting up an AFC Offensive Player of the Week performance in a Week 8 win over the Baltimore Ravens. He has completed 63.1 percent of his passes since taking over as starter, throwing six touchdowns and four interceptions while leading the Browns to victory over two AFC contenders.

But Winston is playing with the Browns on a one-year deal. Thompson-Robinson, a fifth-round pick by Cleveland in the 2023 NFL draft, has two seasons remaining on his rookie contract.

Thompson-Robinson made three starts in his rookie 2023 season while stepping in for Watson. After struggling in his NFL debut, a Week 4 loss to the Ravens, Thompson-Robinson took over in Week 11 to lead the Browns to victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He threw the first touchdown pass of his NFL career in the following game, a Week 12 loss to the Denver Broncos, before getting benched in favor of Joe Flacco for the remainder of the campaign.

Flacco moved on over the summer, and the Browns quarterback order is set to change once more next offseason as the team looks to move away from Watson despite the $92 million in guaranteed money remaining on his contract.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported last week that while Watson may remain on the 2025 roster due to that deal, the team is expected "to look to put competition in the quarterback room, either through the draft or free agency."

The Browns could also try to find that competition in their quarterback room by giving Thompson-Robinson another shot at QB1 in the upcoming weeks. Cleveland is closing out the season with a difficult six-week stretch featuring road games against the Broncos, Steelers, Bengals and Ravens and home contests against the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins.