The Cleveland Browns are just trying to make it to the end of the season in tact after another loss dropped them to 3-11 on the season. This week, it was the mighty Kansas City Chiefs walking into Cleveland and coming out with a comfortable 21-7 victory.
During the game, head coach Kevin Stefanski elected to bench starting quarterback Jameis Winston after the veteran threw three interceptions, though only two of them were entirely his fault. Winston was replaced by Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and the Browns were never really able to work their way back into the game.
Ahead of Cleveland’s Week 16 clash with the Cincinnati Bengals, Stefanski wouldn’t commit to one guy or the other as the starting quarterback heading into the week, according to Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.
“Anything related to Cincinnati I’ll update you guys as we get into the week,” Stefanski said, per Oyefusi.
Neither Winston nor Thompson-Robinson were very successful on Sunday against a Chiefs defense that has really struggled lately while it deals with injuries in the secondary. Winston finished the day 16-for-25 with 146 yards and three interceptions before getting benched. He also took five sacks and finished with a QBR of 3.6 out of 100.
Thompson-Robinson didn’t get a ton of drop backs on Sunday, but he did complete 4-of-9 passes for 18 yards and one pick while running for 16 yards on three carries.
Jameis Winston should be the guy for the Browns
Let’s get this out of the way right now: Jameis Winston is a below-average NFL quarterback. He puts the ball in harm’s way far too many times and he takes way too many negative plays to be a full-time starter at the position.
He is also an ideal backup quarterback in the NFL, especially for a team like the Browns, and he should be the starter for the remainder of the season. There’s even an argument that, given Cleveland’s financial situation, that he should be the starter heading into next season as well.
Most backup quarterbacks come into the game and are ultra-conservative, trying not to make that fatal mistake that will hurt their team. That timid mindset often is the fatal mistake. By refusing to push the ball down the field, a lot of backups don’t give their offense a chance to be successful and run a boring, inefficient offense.
Winston has some boneheaded turnovers with his style, but the ceiling with him in there is also infinitely higher. Just look at what he did to an elite Denver Broncos defense on Monday Night Football a few weeks back, throwing for nearly 500 yards and scoring 32 points. He also threw three interceptions and two pick-sixes in that game, but he still gave the Browns a chance to win.
With Deshaun Watson rehabbing a torn Achilles after already being one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL all season before his injury, it’s clear that Winston should be the starter for the rest of this season and going into next season if he’s back in Cleveland.
