With Deshaun Watson out for the season with a ruptured Achilles, Cleveland Browns will reportedly turn to Jameis Winston as their starting quarterback, per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. Watson suffered the injury during the Browns’ 21-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Ahead of Sunday’s game, the Browns had demoted Winston to emergency quarterback behind Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Now, with Watson out, Winston has been promoted again, with Cleveland giving the start to the veteran quarterback.
Winston, a 10-year veteran of the league, signed a one-year contract with the Browns in March after stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints.
On Sunday, after Watson went down, Thompson-Robinson took over as quarterback, throwing 11 of 24 passes for 82 yards and two interceptions. Winston was then subbed in to finish the game, going 5-for-11 for 67 yards, scoring a late touchdown with less than two minutes remaining.
Watson is set to undergo surgery in the coming weeks; his injury timeline is unclear, but he is unlikely to return before next season. Watson’s injury is set to cost Cleveland millions: Although the team has insurance on the quarterback’s massive contract, the financial implications of the deal had already been bogging the team down prior to Watson going down.
The 1-6 Browns’ upcoming stretch includes two homes games — against the Baltimore Ravens (5-2) and Los Angeles Chargers (3-3) — and a bye in Week 10. For the near future at least, Cleveland will have Winston be the one to guide the team through the rest of this season.
