Former UCLA Star's Painful Admission on First 2024 NFL Start

Former UCLA Bruins star Dorian Thompson-Robinson did not exactly impress in his first 2024 start with the Cleveland Browns.

Nov 19, 2022; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (1) celebrates his touchdown scored against the Southern California Trojans during the first half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Cleveland Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson made his first start of the 2024 NFL campaign on Sunday afternoon, and the results were not great.

The former UCLA Bruins star went 20-for-34 with 157 yards and a couple of interceptions in the Browns' 24-6 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, and afterward, Thompson-Robinson was understandably not thrilled with his performance.

While he said after the game that his first interception was a result of his hand getting hit on the throw, his called his second pick a "bone-headed mistake," via Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.

Thompson-Robinson then dissected his performance more thoroughly, saying that he absolutely needs to be better moving forward.

#Browns QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson: "...and I did not do so today. We've been harping all week on turnovers. I had two, myself. At the end of the day, we lost this game off of turnovers and I've got to do a better job in that situation." https://t.co/pApEBcIPSF

— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) December 22, 2024

Thompson-Robinson entered the league as a fifth-round draft pick of the Browns in 2023.

Since then, he has made 13 appearances and four starts, and during those outings, he has totaled one passing touchdown and nine interceptions while completing only 52.8 percent of his throws.

Those obviously aren't ideal numbers, and considering the UCLA product may have been auditioning for 2025 on Sunday, he did nothing to dissuade Cleveland from pursuing another quarterback during the offseason.

Thompson-Robinson spent five years with the Bruins between 2018 and 2022, with his best campaign coming in his final season when he threw for 3,169 yards, 27 touchdowns and 10 picks while completing 69.6 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 645 yards and 12 scores.

The 25-year-old entered the 2024 NFL campaign as the Browns' third quarterback behind Deshaun Watson and Jameis Winston, but after a season-ending injury to Watson and some rough showings by Winston, Thompson-Robinson got an opportunity.

Unfortunately, he was unable to take advantage, and against a rather shoddy Bengals defense, no less.

The good news is that Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said that Thompson-Robinson should get another chance to start versus the Miami Dolphins next Sunday.

All of that being said, the chances of Thompson-Robinson actually doing enough to convince the Browns that he can be the long-term answer under center in the final two games of the regular season are slim to none.

Hopefully, the Columbia, S.C. native can at least put forth a better effort.

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