Jameis Winston‘s INT spree will produce a benching. The Browns are going with Dorian Thompson-Robinson in Week 16, Brad Stainbrook of the Orange and Brown Report notes.
Kevin Stefanski, who parked Winston during what became a six-turnover Browns performance against the Chiefs, will take another look at a second-year player over one that is on an expiring contract. Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot confirms Winston will take a seat after making seven starts this season. Indicating Winston will be DTR’s backup, Stefanski refused to commit to the younger passer beyond Week 16.
Despite this low start count, Winston is already tied for fourth in INTs (12). Only Kirk Cousins (16), Baker Mayfield (14) and Geno Smith (13) have more. All three have started every game for their respective teams this season. Winston has been unable to curb a turnover habit that defined his Buccaneers tenure, one that infamously ended with the QB throwing an astounding 30 interceptions in 2019. Winston threw three picks against Kansas City, a game that came two weeks after another three-INT game in Denver.
With the Browns now 3-11, they are fully in evaluation mode. Thompson-Robinson is under contract through the 2026 season, being chosen in the 2023 fifth round. Although the Browns have needed to make changes based on the UCLA product’s lack of readiness at multiple points during his first two seasons, it appears he will close the show for this year’s disappointing team.
Thompson-Robinson, who impressed the Browns to the point they traded would-be 2023 backup Josh Dobbs to the Cardinals just before last season, has made three starts. He has completed just 51.4% of his passes as a pro, adding three more interceptions — including one against the Chiefs — to his TD-INT ratio this season. That ratio sits at 1:7 right now. The Browns are expected to pursue another starter-caliber quarterback in 2025, albeit one who will compete with Deshaun Watson, but the team will see how Thompson-Robinson fares ahead of a high-stakes offseason.
Winston, 30, is playing out a one-year, $4MM deal. The Browns preferred him to 2023 Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco, not making the latter an offer. Winston has produced highs and lows, continuing an inconsistent career. He threw for a Browns-record 497 yards against the Broncos, giving Jerry Jeudy a revenge game for the ages. Winston tossed two pick-sixes in that matchup. That came after Winston had helped the Browns beat the Ravens in the first game after Watson’s Achilles tear; the former No. 1 overall pick followed it up with a three-pick showing in a one-sided loss to the Chargers.
The Browns cannot realistically drop Watson due to two fully guaranteed seasons remaining on his five-year, $230MM contract. They are also expected to complete a third restructure with the struggling QB, which will make it more difficult to cut him in 2026. The restructure will, however, allow a bit more breathing room as the Andrew Berry-Kevin Stefanski duo — widely expected to stay — conducts a search for a potential Watson replacement. At this point, it appears unlikely Winston will heavily factor into that pursuit.
One loser to another loser for a loser franchise.
And the Second Battle Of Ohio — which was going to be the midweek Prime Video game until the Browns collapsed — has been shifted from Fox to CBS.
Not to mention the Bengals 3% chance to make the playoffs. Would have been nice to see Winston against Burrow. Cincinnati’s defense is horrible and Burrow is pretty good. There could have been 900 passing yards in that game
2 loser teams lol. I mean in all honesty, no one wants to battle for Ohio. Winning Ohio is like winning the Special Olympics… Yeah you won the game but…. did you really win the war?
900 yards and 7 INTs
Was decent college QB. I hope for him, the Browns and Browns fans this guy does well enough to offer a solution to the never ending drama they have a this position.
Don’t follow pro football much, but grew up in the Cleveland area long ago.
Clearly the owner is an absolute disaster. Arguably the worst in all of professional team sports in America. The Commissioner at the time the franchise was sold should be sued for forcing this guy on a fanbase that have been avid football fans and players for over 100 years….and that fanbase KNOWS the sport.
They’re going to restructure Deshaun Watson’s contract so they can’t cut him in 2026? The mere fact that the guy trots out on the field wearing a Browns jersey is an affront and insult to tens of millions of Browns fans around the world. Do they need to do an “evaluation” to figure out that the roster they have is not going to change enough to have the team compete in the 2025 season? What fantasyland are the owner, GM, and HC living in?
The owner and GM made the decision to award the most outrageous contract in the history of the NFL (and possibly in all of American professional sports) to a man (sic) that’s and even worse human being than football player. Those 2 guys screwed up, and they need to own up and dump the player NOW! If it means tanking the 2025 season – do it! Trade every decent player on that roster for draft choices. Then either sell the GD franchise and/or bring in a real, experienced professional football person to take over the football operations and build a quality organization and roster. The owner(s) should give that person a budget, go back to Tennessee and spend their time attending concerts by Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson, HARDY, Miranda Lambert, Luke Combs, and others.
This owner is even worse than the guy he bought the franchise from.
He owns the Columbus Crew and they have won 3 titles and he’s part owner of the Milwaukee Bucks. Not really the owner unless you want to blame his hires
“Not really the owner unless you want to blame his hires.”
Deerhunter;
The whole point is that:
1. He makes the hires….which he’s been screwing up epically since he took over the franchise midway through the 2012 season.
2. From what I was reading – including here – during the push for Watson, he was intricately involved in the negotiations along with the GM. Of the teams still in the running, the Browns were said to have the least chance of signing Watson. Then the GM came up with the idea of guaranteeing the entire contract – something unheard of in the NFL. Haslem went along with it and won the bidding.
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That teed-off all the other owners for taking such a reckless action. They were afraid he was set a precedent that they would then have to meet. From what I can gather, no one else has come close to that action since.
The fact is that the Browns have to play semi-penalized in 2025 it order to be half-decent, and have to give up on 2026 to a point as well because the bylaws make it impossible to cut Watson in 2026 without suffering even more penalties. This is all happening because this owner was so desperate to win as he’d learned next to nothing of value sticking his nose into the daily operations of the football team for 12 years, that he’s killed the teams chance of being competitive for a still to be determined number of years. The man’s a buffoon. The franchise is a clown show. That’s on him. But Browns fans around the world did nothing to deserve this. (I watched Paul Brown coach. Thing guy is an amateur.)
Let him sell the Browns to responsible, smart ownership, and concentrate his time on the legendary Columbus Crew (who I never heard of and have no idea what sport they play).
You know why they guaranteed the whole contract? Because Mayfield was mad that they would attempt to get Watson and he refused to play for the Browns again. They had no other option at quarterback. Everyone had one. Teams try to upgrade all the time and only immature players get their feelings hurt. The Browns acquired Jeudy and Elijah Moore went from WR2 to WR3. Never heard one complaint from him. Cooper was supposedly offered for Aiyuk yet he didn’t refuse to play. Both grownups
Well it was fun using Jeudy in fantasy, so long Jerry. This QB is absolutely terrible with no arm to speak of
I think I have a post-NFL idea for Jameis Winston: start a bakery. Can you imagine how well Jameis Winston’s Signature Turnovers would sell? Have the icing be the same color as the teams he played for. Have discounts on six packs, and even call it a Pick Six.