Examining the Browns’ quarterback situation with Jameis Winston set to start against the Ravens

Winston will start in place of Thompson-Robinson, even though DTR was promoted to the reserve for last week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns entered the season believing they had two quality backups and informed both quarterbacks that the situation could change this season.

In fact, while Winston was the backup until last week, he was also the short-yardage QB for the sneak QBs. Last week, the decision was made to have a package of plays ready for Thompson-Robinson, so DTR was the backup, and when he played in place of Watson, it was up and down (11 of 24 passing for 82 yards with two INTs) . He also suffered a right finger injury in the loss to the Bengals, but participated fully in practice all week.

That paved the way for Winston, whose boom-or-bust trajectories have been the story of his career. The surge has often come on deep passes, similar to how Flacco led Cleveland to the playoffs last year. Winston’s preparation has always impressed and this week was no different.

Winston will also have more Nick Chubb available this week as his workload should increase in his second game after a devastating knee injury last year. If Winston can keep the ball out of harm’s way, Cleveland should be fine.

Dorsey is back calling plays today (as he did during his stint as the Bills’ OC) and moving on. As to why, there are several answers. It’s not a good time to make a play-calling change, but Stefanski said in the spring he was open to it, one of the reasons he hired Dorsey. With a big change with Winston as the starter, it was also a new beginning for the offense.

Additionally, Stefanski had a time management problem. The offense was struggling and Stefanski still spent most of his time working with that unit. If it didn’t help, that time was not being used well.

This move freed Stefanski to attend more defensive meetings last week, for example, allowing him to coach the entire team and, just as important, be available to the entire team. With upcoming games against the Ravens and Chargers before their Week 10 bye, the Browns have a two-game period to evaluate and determine if it’s working.

Being balanced on offense with Chubb more involved will be paramount, as will attacking all levels of the defense, which Winston can do with his arm. We’ll also likely see more play-action and looks under center, because that better suits Winston’s skill set.

Yes, there is the question of Watson’s future. With 11 weeks left in the regular season and an entire offseason to discuss what to do, it’s safe to say there were no meetings focused on this topic last week. Watson is under contract for two years and his $92 million salary is fully guaranteed. Considering he’s coming off a season-ending Achilles injury, there will be contingency plans at the QB position anyway.

All options are on the table. There were many times last year when it looked like Watson was ready to look like his old self, only for a shoulder injury to end his season. This year, the entire season never hit its stride as Watson was ineffective in seven starts, throwing five touchdowns and three interceptions.

Watson’s future will be the story of the Browns’ offseason, but not this week.