Browns Make Big QB Announcement Ahead of Week 8 Clash vs. Ravens
By Jovan Alford
The Cleveland Browns saw starting quarterback Deshaun Watson suffer a torn Achilles in their Week 7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. As expected, Watson will be out for the remainder of the regular season.
With Watson on the shelf for the rest of the ‘24 campaign, the Browns signed Bailey Zappe off the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad to fill out the rest of the QB room. However, the Browns still had to decide who would take over the starting job – Jameis Winston or Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Both quarterbacks saw time in the Week 7 loss, giving head coach Kevin Stefanski something to think about heading into this week’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. That said, the team has made their choice at QB.
According to FOX Sports NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, the Browns plan to start Winston against the Ravens. Schultz also reports that Thompson-Robinson was only Watson’s backup in Week 7 strictly from a gameplan standpoint.
Winston stepped in for Thompson-Robinson late in the fourth quarter after the second-year QB suffered a finger injury. The veteran QB led a 12-play, 60-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a David Njoku touchdown.
As for Thompson-Robinson, he’s reportedly dealing with an injured tendon on his middle finger but it shouldn’t cause him to miss multiple weeks.
Based on Thompson-Robinson’s injury and Winston’s experience, it made the most sense for Stefanski to go with the veteran. The Browns signed Winston for this reason, inking him to a one-year, $4 million deal in the offseason.
Cleveland hopes Winston can add a spark to the offense against a Ravens defense allowing 25.7 points per game this season (25th in the NFL). With this news of Winston starting, the Browns are nine-point home underdogs against the Ravens on DraftKings Sportsbook.
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