CLEVELAND – Dorian Thompson-Robinson was here before. In fact, it was a little over a year ago.
At the time, in Week 4 of last season, Thompson-Robinson was a rookie fifth-round draft pick who was slotted into the starting lineup against the Baltimore Ravens with only a few hours’ notice due to a starter Deshaun Watson’s shoulder injury. It was not an overall pleasant experience.
On Sunday, Thompson-Robinson was a year older and a handful of games played wiser when he found himself thrown into the fire in the second quarter of a 21-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals when Watson suffered an injury to Achilles. Even with several games under his belt the year before, he still couldn’t shake the familiarity of that Ravens game from last season in terms of performance.
“I mean, not good enough to win,” Thompson-Robinson said after completing 11 of 24 passes for 82 yards with two interceptions and a 19.8 passer rating against Cincinnati. “So I had to do a lot of cleaning up, getting back into it. It kind of gave me flashbacks of going back to the Ravens game last year and a feeling that I don’t want, a feeling that has a bad taste in my mouth and something I need to look in the mirror and make sure I come out prepared next week.
Thompson-Robinson’s preparation for next week won’t just be about how he practices. Whether or not it starts for the Browns Sunday’s game against the Ravens will hinge on the impact of a finger injury he suffered against the Bengals, which led Jameis Winston to step in for the final drive.
The extent of the injury remains unknown, although Thompson-Robinson confirmed he had already taken an X-ray of the finger. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game that he would have a better idea Monday once all the testing was complete.
“I ran into a mistake on the sack,” Thompson-Robinson said. “I was trying to hold on and ultimately I couldn’t keep the ball.”
This could ultimately determine whether or not Thompson-Robinson gets the start against Baltimore. If not, it’ll likely be Winston, who completed 5 of 11 passes for 67 yards and a touchdown on the Browns’ final drive Sunday.
Winston had been the No. 2 quarterback all season until this week, when he and Thompson-Robinson were swapped on the depth chart.
“I found out pretty late in the week,” Thompson-Robinson said of the change. “I’m still doing my regular routine, being on a scout team, pushing these guys on defense. I’m doing all my extracurricular work, whether I’m a substitute or not, to make sure I’m ready for the game every week.”
In some ways, this feels a lot like last season for Thompson-Robinson. Except after that Ravens game, he was demoted to third behind, technically, the injured Watson and PJ Walker, who started two games and finished another for Watson because of his shoulder issues.
However, Thompson-Robinson returned to the starting role when Watson’s season ended with a fractured glenoid suffered in a Week 10 victory against the Ravens. He started the next two games – a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers and a loss against the Denver Broncos – before being knocked out of the Broncos’ game with a concussion.
His teammates think this experience from a year ago will be an advantage. That’s certainly part of their message to Thompson-Robinson.
“Slow the game down,” defensive end Myles Garrett said. “Take your time. As teammates and as a family, we support you. You don’t have to make every play and every play doesn’t have to be a big play. You can do it slowly on the field or if you see this great game, go for it But it doesn’t have to be everyone.
“And we believe in his throwing ability, we believe in his legs, but let’s not take unnecessary hits. Don’t take unnecessary risks and just go for those plays when you see them. Don’t force anything.”
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Learn more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article was originally published in the Akron Beacon Journal: Dorian Thompson-Robinson returning amid Browns QB drama
