Winston will start over Thompson-Robinson, although DTR was elevated as his backup for last week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns entered the season believing they had two quality backups and let both QBs know that things could go wrong this season.

In fact, even though Winston was a backup until last week, he was also the shortstop QB on sneak QB blitzes. Last week, the decision was made to have a game package ready for Thompson-Robinson, so DTR was the backup and it was up and down (11-of-24 passes) when he played in Watson’s place. 82 yards with two INTs). He also injured his right thumb in the loss to the Bengals, but was a full participant in practice throughout the week.

This paved the way for Winston, whose rise or fall is the story of his career. Explosion often came with deep passes, similar to how Flacco led Cleveland to the playoffs last year. Winston’s preparation has always been impressive, and this week was no different.

Winston will also have more Nick Chubb He will be available this week as his workload will increase in his second game since suffering a devastating knee injury last year. If Winston can keep the ball out of harm’s way for the most part, Cleveland should be in good shape.

Dorsey is back playing games today (as he did during his tenure as Bils’ OC) and continues to improve. As for why, there are a few answers. It’s not a good time to make changes to the play call, but Stefanski said he’s open to it in the spring, which is one of the reasons he hired Dorsey. The big change that came with Winston starting was a new beginning for the offense.

There was also Stefanski’s time management problem. The offense was struggling and Stefanski still spent most of his time practicing on that team. If it didn’t help, then it wasn’t being used well.

The move allowed Stefanski to attend more defensive meetings last week; for example, it allowed him to coach the whole team and, most importantly, be available to the whole team. With games against the Ravens and Chargers before Week 10, the Browns have two games to evaluate and see if it works.

With Chubb getting more involved, it will be crucial to be balanced offensively and attack all levels of defense that Winston can do with his arm. We also expect to see more play action and appearances under center because that better suits Winston’s skill set.

Yes, there is the issue of Watson’s future. With 11 weeks left before the end of the regular season and an offseason to talk about what to do, it would not be wrong to say that there were no meetings focused on this issue last week. Watson has a two-year contract and his $92 million salary is fully guaranteed. Given he’s coming off a season-ending Achilles injury, there will be contingency plans in place regardless of what happens at the QB position.

All options are on the table. There were plenty of times last year when Watson was ready to look like his old self, barring a season-ending shoulder injury. This year, Watson never got up to the mark all season as he was ineffective in seven starts, throwing five touchdowns and three interceptions.

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