Dawgs By Nature
Quarterback’s finger injury is reportedly not serious, but that does not mean he is out of the woods just yet.
Life comes at you fast in the NFL.
That is especially true in the case of Cleveland Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who in the span of a few hours on Sunday went from the team’s third-string quarterback to operating the huddle after Desahun Watson left the game with what is likely a season-ending Achilles injury.
It wasn’t a stellar day for the second-year quarterback as DTR finished 11-of-24 for just 82 yards, two interceptions, and a QB rating of 19.8 as the Browns fell to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The situation went from bad to worse for Thompson-Robinson when he was knocked out of the game with a finger injury.
This being the Browns and quarterbacks no one would be surprised if the news came out that DTR suffered an injury never before seen in the NFL, leaving the Browns to scramble to find another quarterback to fill out the roster.
But that does not appear to be the case, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who reported late this afternoon that it appears that DTR did not suffer a major injury.
While that is obviously good news, it does not mean that Thompson-Robinson is going to slide seamlessly into the starter’s role now that Watson is sidelined. Rapoport went on to report that the Browns need to wait and see how DTR responds to treatment this week and if he can probably grip the football before they decide if they can ride with Thompson-Robinson for next week’s home game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Even if DTR is able to go next week, head coach Kevin Stefanski has a rough week ahead of him as puzzles through allowing Thompson-Robinson to face the Ravens or if he should turn the team over to veteran retread Jameis Winston.
And no matter which way Stefanski goes, general manager Andrew Berry is going to be busy working to add a third quarterback to the roster.
Ultimately it doesn’t matter where the team lands at quarterback. The season is lost and nothing anyone does now is going to fix the situation. Put up with Winston’s occasional good plays along with his wacky ones? Sure! Roll with DTR to “see what you have?” Why not!
That is one of the few bright spots of being 1-6 — you can experiment because things can’t get any worse.
In addition to the quarterback situation, the Browns are also dealing with yet another injury to the offensive line after right tackle Jack Conklin left Sunday’s game with an undisclosed injury.
Stefanski had no information on the situation after the game, other than saying the team will have more information on Conklin on Monday.
Conklin missed the first five games of the season as he was still working his way back from a knee injury that knocked him out of the 2023 season in Week 1 and then suffered a hamstring...
