Hundreds of dreams are being crushed around the NFL this week as all 32 teams brace for Tuesday's 53-man roster cutdown deadline. It's the last notable date on the Cleveland Browns' road to the 2025 campaign, leaving head coach Kevin Stefanski and his staff to figure out who has the best shot of helping the team succeed this fall.
This summer's cuts have already started to roll in, just over 24 hours before the deadline, and some former Browns have been involved in the early headlines. One of those involved ex-Cleveland quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who was cut by the Philadelphia Eagles following the franchise's trade with the Minnesota Vikings to acquire Sam Howell.
Thompson-Robinson's NFL career has been trending in the wrong direction ever since his time in Cleveland, but that doesn't mean it's time to write him off yet. As Silver & Black Sports Network's Jesse Merrick pointed out, an AFC team might have the perfect staff member to help turn DTR's outlook around.
Another option for the #Raiders At QB
— Jesse Merrick - Silver & Black Sports Network (@JesseSBSN) August 24, 2025
He played for Chip Kelly at UCLA and while he may not have a ton of experience 15 games in two seasons is nothing to turn your nose up at
He’s also a Vegas kid too https://t.co/SwylUauP2I
Former Browns QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson Could Be Saved by Raiders OC Chip Kelly
With quarterback Aidan O'Connell expected to miss up to two months with a wrist fracture, the Las Vegas Raiders need more depth in their QB room besides Geno Smith and Cam Miller. It wouldn't be surprising if that need led them to contact Thompson-Robinson, who's more than familiar with Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.
Before OC stints with Las Vegas and Ohio State, Kelly spent six seasons as the UCLA Bruins' head coach. Thompson-Robinson was in the locker room for all of those years except Kelly's final one, giving him more chemistry with the Raiders' offensive game-planner than the team's other QB options.
Thompson-Robinson played 50 games under Kelly's watch during their five-year partnership. Although the 6-foot-2 quarterback was never the nation's best passer during that stretch, he still completed 63.3% of passes for 10,710 passing yards, 88 touchdowns, and 36 interceptions. He also converted 471 carries into 1,826 rushing yards and 28 more scores, and even received second-team All-Pac-12 honors twice.
Unfortunately, Thompson-Robinson didn't have similar success in Cleveland. Injuries across the Browns' QB room forced the ex-Bruin into a starting role before he was ready, and the results supported that fact, as he went 121-of-230 (52.6%) in the pocket for 880 yards and on touchdown to 10 INTs across two seasons. Cleveland clearly didn't have his development as a top priority, but that could be different in a reunion with Kelly.
The Raiders have nothing to lose this season, so why not take a flier?
With most teams' QB rooms set at this point, the Raiders might be Thompson-Robinson's last path to being on an NFL roster before Week 1. If not, it's hard to imagine any team willing to roll the dice on the former Brown this season.