The Cleveland Browns wanted to make sure they had insulation at the quarterback position this year. They cycled through five quarterbacks in 2023, starter Deshaun Watson limited to just six games. That’s why they have four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster right now—or one of the reasons. According to Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns want to find a trading partner for one of their veteran backups. Even though he didn’t play in the finale, they are confident Deshaun Watson is ready to go. They also decided to retain second-year Dorian Thompson-Robinson, leaving them with two experienced veterans—Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley.
“The Browns will field calls for the backup quarterbacks in hopes of securing a draft pick for one of them”, Cabot wrote for Cleveland.com on Tuesday. “They may have already gotten some calls about Winston, who was signed to be the backup to Watson and has been a tremendous leader for the whole team as well as a mentor to Watson”.
The first-overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Jameis Winston has transitioned into a backup in recent years. He signed with the Browns this offseason on a one-year, $4 million contract that inexplicably includes four void years. Thompson-Robinson started the second preseason game, but Winston started the other two.
Winston, however, by far played the least of the Browns quarterback, minus Watson, who didn’t play at all. Winston went 10-for-14 for 3 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Thompson-Robinson went 38-for-55 for 375 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Huntley went 37-for-51 for 322 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Even though Huntley is also a former Pro Bowler (which is hilarious, berad), Jameis Winston is by far the Browns’ most notable backup quarterback, which is obviously why Cabot hinted that they may have already fielded calls for teams looking for a veteran reserve.
Jameis Winston has 80 career starts in 93 games, though he did not start any games last season. He has a career 61.2 completion percentage, throwing for 22,104 yards with 141 touchdowns to 99 interceptions. Prior to this season, he has spent his entire career with the Buccaneers and Saints.
The Browns drafted Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the fifth round last year out of UCLA. As a rookie, he started three games, going 1-2. He went 60-for-112 passing for 440 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions. Thompson-Robinson also rushed for 65 yards on 14 attempts.
And he scored his lone win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 11 a year ago. In that 13-10 victory, he went 24-for-43, throwing for 165 yards with zero touchdowns and an interception, rushing for 20 yards on three attempts. But the Browns saw enough of him this offseason that they are willing to part with Huntley or Winston.
