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Jameis Winston to start at quarterback for Cleveland Browns against Baltimore Ravens
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- Jameis Winston to start at quarterback for Cleveland Browns against Baltimore Ravens
BEREA — Jameis Winston is getting his opportunity for the Browns . The quarterback said the opportunity doesn't change how he's going about his daily routing.
"I'm always preparing as if I am the starter," Winston said Wednesday. "Now that I am the starter, I'm going to continue to prepare like an NFL starting quarterback."
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Browns coach Kevin Stefanski officially announced Wednesday that Winston will be the starting quarterback when the Browns play host to the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon. The move was precipitated by injuries to Deshaun Watson's Achilles tendon and Dorian Thompson-Robinson's finger .
Thompson-Robinson's right middle finger was wrapped in a splint while he was in the locker room, and he did practice Wednesday. Stefanski's concern was the ability for him to throw, which is why he wanted to see the second-year pro throw in practice.
Depending on that outcome, Winston's backup Sunday could be the recently signed Bailey Zappe , who spent two seasons with the New England Patriots and was on the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad until the Browns signed him Tuesday .
"I mean, just grind honestly," Zappe said of the ramp-up period. "Just get to work, study, watch, film. Obviously that's Coach Stefanski's decision on what he wants to do and what he sees fit. But, like I said, I'm kind of familiar with the system already, so it'd be pretty easy for me to pick it up and hit the ground running, and we'll see come Sunday."
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Sunday will be the 81st career start for Winston. He's 34-46 as a starter, with a career stat line of 22,187 passing yards with a 61.1% completion rate, 142 touchdowns and 99 interceptions.
Winston takes control of an offense that has sputtered out of the gate, so much so that Stefanski said Wednesday offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey would take over calling the plays starting this week. The Browns offense is arguably the worst in the NFL, ranked 32nd in total yards (253.9) and third-down conversion rate (23.7%), 30th in passing offense (159.6), 29th in points per game (15.6) and tied for 28th in rush offense (94.3).
"What's more important is our execution," Winston said. "We have had some good drives, sustained drives. We have to continue to build on drives and give our defense a breather, whether that's taking what the defense gives us, we all want to attack the ball down the field vertically. That's explosive. That's fun football, and that's what we're trying to incorporate as an offense is get back to playing Cleveland Browns fun football."
The 30-year-old Winston, who will become the 38th starting quarterback for the Browns since 1999, was signed in March to be Watson's backup , which he was for the first six games. However, citing "game-plan reasons," Stefanski made Winston the emergency No. 3 quarterback last Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals in favor of Thompson-Robinson as the backup.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston (5) celebrates a touchdown with Cleveland Browns linebacker Winston Reid (59) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
After Watson and Thompson-Robinson each left the game, Winston appeared on the final Browns offensive drive, which started with 3:43 remaining. He completed 5 of 11 passes for 67 yards and an 8-yard touchdown pass to David Njoku , as well as a two-point conversion pass to Cedric Tillman .
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It was Winston's first extended playing time since the preseason. How much can it serve as a springboard into Sunday?
"Well, everything matters," Winston said. "Everything matters. My focus is on today, Wednesday. We will get to Sunday. We know this is a great team, but we are preparing to be our very best."
The only other time Winston had appeared in a game this season beyond the occasional short-yardage play was in Week 5 against the Washington Commanders when he quarterbacked the Browns' final series. He completed his only pass of that game — the only pass he's completed this season other than in the Bengals game — for 16 yards.
Winston's primary on-field role beyond being Watson's backup over the first six games was in short-yardage plays. He's appeared seven times on third- or fourth-and-short plays over that time.
Winston last started a game in Week 3 of the 2022 season, a 22-14 loss at the Carolina Panthers , while he was with the New Orleans Saints . Back and foot issues led him to miss time after that, and he eventually lost his starting job to Andy Dalton .
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"I view this as an opportunity to go out there and be my very best," Winston said. "And when I'm my very best, I'm a great NFL starter."
The former No. 1 overall pick in 2015 out of Florida State University started 70 of the 72 games in which he appeared in with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , although he did miss eight combined games in 2018-19 for various reasons. He was 28-42 as a starter for the Bucs, completing 61.3% of his passes for 19,737 yards with 121 touchdowns and 88 interceptions.
After signing to be Drew Brees ' backup in 2020, he started 10 combined games for the Saints in 2021-22 before injuries cost him his starting job. He was Derek Carr 's backup last season in New Orleans .
"When I had the opportunity to sit behind Drew Brees and Sean Peyton in 2020 during the year of COVID, then I understood the importance of the process of being an NFL quarterback," Winston said. "What does it take to beat this specific team? What does it take for a quarterback to make the plays that he should make and to not make the plays that he shouldn't make?
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"So I think my evolvement as a quarterback has been every year, but I believe knowing the plays not to make instead of knowing the plays that I am capable of making."
(This story has been updated with new information.)
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jameis Winston to start at QB for Browns against Ravens
