Deshaun Watson’s season-ending shoulder injury was revealed on Wednesday, which prompted the Browns to come up with a backup plan of their own.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, the rookie quarterback, will make his second career start. But he’ll be given more than an hour’s notice this time.
Thompson-Robinson will start for the Browns this Sunday against Pittsburgh, according to head coach Kevin Stefanski. This game could be crucial in the extremely close AFC North race, which has become even closer after Cleveland’s stunning victory over Baltimore in Week 10.
Those who watched Thompson-Robinson’s only career start—a disastrous 19 of 36, 121-yard, three-interception performance in a blowout loss to Baltimore in Week 4—may be surprised by the choice. But Stefanski is choosing to go with a player who has a higher production ceiling because the Browns have a difficult decision to make between him and seasoned backup PJ Walker.
“For us, obviously we did a ton of work on him coming out. He’s played a lot of football (at UCLA), he’s very athletic, can make plays,” Stefanski said. “Has a very good understanding of what we do, of our offense and those type of things. He’s a young player that I think will just continue to get better.
“Stefanski indirectly admitted he’d have preferred to keep his selection of Thompson-Robinson a secret until Sunday, but because his choice was reported by locals shortly after the Watson news broke on Wednesday morning, Stefanksi said he had no choice but to go public. If anything, it will save breath for pundits who would have spent the next few days debating who Cleveland should choose as Watson’s replacement.
Nobody knows how it will turn out. In his unexpected Week 4 start against the Browns, Thompson-Robinson appeared to be completely overmatched by Baltimore’s defense, not giving the Browns much of a puncher’s chance to compete with their division rivals and forcing Stefanski to turn to Walker in Watson’s place. Walker gained two victories for the Browns (one as a starter, a 19-17 victory over San Francisco), but he also showed himself to be a prolific interceptor, tossing five interceptions in three games to make life much harder for a Cleveland squad that has been lifted to 6-3 by its outstanding defense.
Walker did lead Cleveland on two occasions during game-winning drives in wins over San Francisco and Indianapolis. He also came dangerously close to pulling off a stunning comeback in Seattle. However, Walker’s mistakes outweighed his gains, particularly in Cleveland’s defeat to the Seahawks, which prevented Watson from playing in Week 9 against Arizona, which was only a temporary fix for the team’s quarterback situation.
Stefanski acknowledged Walker’s contributions even though he won’t start on Sunday and said he must be equally prepared as Thompson-Robinson.
Stefanski is working with a rookie who showed a lot of promise in his preseason appearances, rather than going back to the Walker, who is prone to giveaways. With a full week of preparation under his belt, which he did not have for his previous appearance, Thompson-Robinson will try to build on some strong practice results, which saw Stefanski give Thompson-Robinson a game ball for his scout team work during Cleveland’s preparation for Baltimore.
“Young players need exposure,” Stefanski responded to a question on Wednesday regarding his confidence in starting Thompson-Robinson. “You get better in practice; Sometimes, you get better through games.”
The Steelers defense, which has made life difficult for most quarterbacks this season save Brock Purdy, will be up against him. Cleveland is hoping he gets back to his preseason form so the Browns can defeat the rival Steelers (6-3) and win a crucial game.
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