Dec 17, 2024 12:27 pm: Winston appears set to move into a backup role for Sunday's game against the Bengals while Dorian Thompson-Robinson takes over as the Browns' starting quarterback, Brad Stainbrook of 247Sports.com reports.
Analysis: The quarterback change isn't expected to be confirmed until head coach Kevin Stefanski speaks to the media Wednesday, but the Browns appear motivated to give Thompson-Robinson an extended look under center as the season winds down to better assess whether the 25-year-old fits into their long-term plans. Winston, meanwhile, is on an expiring contract, and has seen his mistakes compound in recent weeks. Since taking over as the Browns' starting quarterback Week 8 in place of the injured Deshaun Watson (Achilles), Winston has injected life into a dormant passing attack by completing 61.6 percent of his throws for 2,038 yards (7.2 YPA) and 12 touchdowns over his seven starts, but he's also thrown 12 interceptions and has lost two fumbles while Cleveland has gone 2-5 under his direction. He tossed three of those interceptions and led just one scoring drive in this past Sunday's 21-7 loss to the Chiefs before being lifted midway through the fourth quarter in favor of Thompson-Robinson.