Can Browns Keep Winning With Rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson?

Cleveland beat Pittsburgh on Sunday in spite of its offense, 13-10. Did Thompson-Robinson do enough to warrant further playing time?

Seven days ago, the Cleveland Browns pulled off an incredible comeback win against Baltimore. All was right with the Browns as the ceiling for this team appeared to be getting higher and higher.

But after Deshaun Watson's broken shoulder dominated headlines on Wednesday, the team announced they were turning back to 5th-round rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson in a massive game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

His emergence as Cleveland's quarterback became the focal point of the franchise this week. With a Super Bowl-caliber defense, the most pressing question was pretty straight-forward: could the Browns play winning football with the former UCLA Bruin running the offense? 

Can he make enough plays without Nick Chubb and his two starting offensive tackles to keep Cleveland's playoff aspirations alive?

Truthfully, the jury is probably still out on that.

But I think DTR did enough on Sunday to warrant another shot next week. At a minimum, I don't think the Browns should pull the rip cord and immediately hand the reigns to P.J. Walker or to whichever other quarterback they're going to bring in the building.

Let's try to be level-headed for a minute and call Sunday's performance a mixed bag.

The first half was fairly solid for the rookie and the Browns had a 10-0 lead at halftime. 

But the team was offensively dreadful for 28 minutes in the second half.

Cleveland ran the ball eight times for 11 yards, complimented by 4-of-13 for 12 passing yards in the third quarter alone. Obviously, those numbers aren't good enough.

Thompson-Robinson wasn't as bad as his stat line would indicate, finishing the game 24-for-43 for 165 yards and an interception. Dropped passes aren't an official stat in the NFL, but by my count there were at least six (and perhaps as many as eight).

That said, let's give the rookie credit for mentally flushing a bad stretch and leading the Browns down the field for a game-winning field goal just before time expired. He completed all four passes he threw on that drive to Elijah Moore, Kareem Hunt, Amari Cooper and David Njoku.

Nov 19, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (17) looks for an available receiver against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Cleveland Browns Stadium.  / Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

If the offense routinely looks like it did in the second half on Sunday, Cleveland is banking on a borderline Herculean effort from its defense if its going to win moving forward. Their Super Bowl-caliber defense has carried more than it's fair share of the load for the Browns this season. There are so many different ways to win games in the NFL, and playing exceptional defense will often carry you deep into the postseason.

The team worked out former Super Bowl MVP and longtime veteran Joe Flacco this week. While he wasn't signed on Friday, there are reports that the team is seriously considering bringing him to Cleveland. Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot told 92.3 The Fan on their pregame show Sunday morning that the team is expecting to sign him, but that his role as a starter or backup depends on how DTR plays.

Flacco is 38 years old and hasn't appeared in a game since leading the New York Jets in five games during the 2022 season. He won only one of those games - ironically, against the Browns on September 18th.

Regardless of whether or not Flacco plays a meaningful on-field role with the Browns this season, the Browns need more from their quarterback, whomever that is. But I'm not willing to give up on DTR after two NFL starts.