Cleveland Browns fell to 0-2 in the preseason with a loss to the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 27-12. The Browns did not play any starters and treated it as a true dress rehearsal and a chance for the young guys to make an impression.
Cleveland rested quarterback Jameis Winston alongside Deshaun Watson, so it gave a chance to see two players battling it out for the No. 3 quarterback spot.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson handled the duties in the first half, while Tyler Huntley was the quarterback for the Browns in the second half. It is a young player fighting against a veteran for a spot on the roster and it has been one worth following through camp.
The offense struggled pretty badly in the first half. The lone short touchdown ran came after the Browns were helped out by a defensive pass interference call deep down the field in the end zone. DTR did a good job of getting out of the pocket and giving Giovanni Ricci a chance to make a play on the ball. Thompson-Robinson finished the game 13-of-17 for 126 yards and had an interception on a tipped pass intended for rookie wideout Jamari Thrash.
It seemed as if DTR had a couple of chances to take off and make the defense pay with his legs, it was one knock I had on his performance. Thompson-Robinson has a bigger ceiling that can be reached and he is a former draft pick by the Browns. Both of those things are working for him and in his favor to make the team. Still, DTR’s pocket presence is a bit clunky and he will take a bad sack.
Huntley came out in the second half and led the Browns down the field into a first-and-goal situation. The veteran quarterback threw an interception and it was returned 90 yards to set up a Vikings touchdown just shortly after. Overall, Huntley was 14-of-20 passing for 135 yards and a pair of picks. The former Ravens quarterback had 19 yards on four runs.
During the second half, Huntley operated the offense well at times and allowed his legs to be a factor. The weather played a part in the second half and made things a bit sloppy in the fourth quarter, it was an inconsistent performance. Huntley has the ability to have command of the offense, but he makes a boneheaded play every now and then that he wishes he had back. To this point, that’s how I have seen Huntley in a Browns uniform.
Cleveland will keep three quarterbacks and then one will stay on the practice squad. We could see them trade one of Huntley or Thompson-Robinson just like they did with Joshua Dobbs last August when they sent him to the Arizona Cardinals. The best-case scenario for the Browns is that they pick up an asset for one of the extra quarterbacks.
Cutdown day is less than two weeks away and the quarterback position is going to be one to watch. The second preseason game brought us one step closer to that.
