Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has made a surprising quarterback announcement after losing Deshaun Watson for the season.
With Watson out for the rest of the year due to a broken bone in his shoulder, the conventional wisdom was that P.J. Walker would be the team’s starter.
However, Stefanski told reporters on Wednesday that rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson will start against the Steelers on Sunday.
Thompson-Robinson, a fifth-round pick out of UCLA, started on Oct. 1 against the Ravens, completing just 52.8 percent of his passes and throwing for 3.4 yards per attempt as Baltimore won the game, 28-3.
Walker, a 28-year-old NFL journeyman, started two games for the Browns in October: a 19-17 win against the 49ers and a 20-24 loss to the Seahawks.
He also played in a Week 7 win over the Colts, relieving an injured Watson in the 39-38 victory.
Nevertheless, Walker has been turnover-prone, throwing one touchdown pass compared to five interceptions this season.
“Every week, you’re just trying to make the best decisions you can make for your team,” Stefanski told reporters after naming Thompson-Robinson, 24, the starter.
“I want to give him a week where he knows he’s the starter against a full week of preparation.”
Before losing Watson, the Browns were bit by the injury bug earlier this season, when they lost star running back Nick Chubb to a season-ending knee injury in September.
Currently at 6-3, the Browns are a half-game behind the Ravens for first place in the AFC North.
If the season ended today, they would qualify for the playoffs as the sixth seed in the AFC.
The Browns’ Super Bowl championship odds currently range between about 45-1 and 50-1 at various books.
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