UPDATE (1:06 PM): Browns’ head coach Kevin Stefanski confirms Dorian Thompson-Robinson will start this weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Our original report is below.
With the news of starting quarterback Deshaun Watson landing on Injured Reserve Wednesday morning, ending his 2023 season, the Cleveland Browns are pivoting to a rookie. Dorian Thompson-Robinson will be under center for Week 11 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz.
According to Schultz, the Browns “barring a last-minute change of heart” are planning on starting the rookie fifth-round pick out of UCLA, giving him his second start of the season.
Thompson-Robinson started against the Baltimore Ravens in Week Four, a 28-3 loss for the Browns. Thompson-Robinson was just 19-of-36 for 121 yards and three interceptions starting in place of Watson, who missed the game with a shoulder injury.
Should Thompson-Robinson start against the Steelers, it will be the third rookie quarterback the Steelers will have faced so far this season. Pittsburgh is 1-1 against rookie quarterbacks having defeated Tennessee’s Will Levis in Week Nine at home but losing to Houston’s C.J. Stroud, 30-6, in Week Four on the road.
Thompson-Robinson spent five seasons at UCLA, finishing his career with 10,695 passing yards, 88 touchdowns and 36 interceptions, going 24-24 for the Bruins, though he was 17-7 in his final two seasons in college.
He lit it up at the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl, putting together a strong week in Las Vegas, leading to his selection in the fifth round by the Browns, though he was on the Steelers’ radar throughout the pre-draft process.
He continued that strong play in the preseason, grading out at a 79.1 overall from Pro Football Focus in the preseason. Thompson-Robinson had 69 drop backs in the preseason, completing 37-of-58 passes for 440 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
He had three big-time throws in the preseason, per PFF, and did not have a turnover-worthy play in those 69 drop backs. He was pressured 20 times in four preseason games (the Browns played in the Hall of Fame game) and took two sacks.
Now, he’ll get a second crack at starting, this time against another strong defense in the AFC North.
