The Cleveland Browns have not yet decided which backup quarterback will start the season finale against Baltimore.
This decision might not matter much to the Ravens.
Coach Kevin Stefanski said he will “work through” the quarterback situation this week, and it’s possible that both Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe could play on Saturday against the Ravens (11-5), who will secure the AFC North title with a win.
“Bailey has been a guy that got here, haven’t seen him in a game just yet,” Stefanski said Tuesday on a Zoom call. “Dorian is a young player who’s using all these reps to get better. So there’s a scenario where we do that (play both).”
If Zappe starts, he will become the 40th quarterback to start for the Browns since 1999.
Thompson-Robinson has had difficulties in his two starts — with the Browns scoring just nine points — after replacing Jameis Winston, who was benched following eight interceptions over a three-game period.
Winston is still dealing with a right shoulder injury, and Stefanski said that Winston will likely be the emergency quarterback for the season finale.
The Browns (3-13) are 17 1/2-point underdogs against the first-place Ravens, who lost to Cleveland on October 27 during Winston’s first start of the season after Deshaun Watson ruptured his Achilles tendon the week before.
Zappe was signed from Kansas City’s practice squad in October after Watson was placed on injured reserve. The 25-year-old Zappe was drafted in the fourth round by New England in 2022.
He made eight starts in two seasons with the Patriots and had his best game against the Browns, passing for 309 yards and two touchdowns in a win two years ago.
