3 Browns Playing Their Last Home Game in Cleveland on Sunday
By Cem Yolbulan
2. QB Jameis Winston
Winston might not necessarily "play" on Sunday, but his inclusion makes sense for the purpose of this exercise. Not only is Winston dealing with a shoulder injury, but he was also recently benched in favor of second-year QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson. As things stand now, he is the third-string quarterback behind DTR and Bailey Zappe.
Winston likely doesn't want to be a third-string quarterback for a three-win team at this stage of his career. Considering that the Browns are likely keeping Deshaun Watson and Thompson-Robinson next season, it's hard to see the 30-year-old quarterback being anything other than a third-stringer.
The veteran QB is hitting free agency in the offseason, and it's hard to see why he would return to Cleveland. The team may be interested in re-signing him, as he has been nothing but a consummate professional and an exemplary locker-room presence. However, the rest of the league will probably have the same idea.
There are presumably better situations out there for Winston. The Browns are seemingly entering a rebuilding phase and Winston may prefer to be elsewhere where he could be a QB2 for a playoff team.