A new quarterback. A new playcaller. The Browns are making changes in hopes of improving their season.
Just days after quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered an Achilles tendon injury that ended his season, coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Wednesday that Jameis Winston will start this Sunday against Baltimore. He also said that he is handing play-calling duties over to coordinator Ken Dorsey.
Winston’s promotion was expected, but Stefanski stepping down from play-calling was a surprise.
These changes—one necessary and the other a choice—come as the Browns (1-6) try to turn their season around while preparing to face the Baltimore Ravens (5-2) and their top-ranked offense led by quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Winston, who joined the team as a free agent in March to back up Watson, will be starting for the first time since 2022 when he played for New Orleans. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2015 draft will be making his 81st career start, which could be a turning point for both the Browns and his career.
“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.”
He will take over a Cleveland offense that has faced many problems this season, especially with Watson, who tore his Achilles on a running play during last week’s 21-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Watson was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday, and Stefanski mentioned that he will have surgery on Friday.
The Browns are currently last in total offense, 28th in rushing, and 29th in points scored. Cleveland is the only NFL team that hasn’t scored 20 points in a game, and they have only surpassed 300 total yards once this season.
With the team needing a change, Stefanski will hand over play-calling duties to Dorsey for the first time in his more than four seasons in Cleveland. While he has been named AP NFL Coach of the Year twice since taking over the Browns in 2020, Stefanski has faced some criticism for focusing too much on the offense and not enough on other areas of the team.
Stefanski stated that he was not pressured to make this change, which will last for the rest of the season.
“I’m just always looking at what we can do to just be a little bit better, and the truth is we have to improve on offense. Coach Dorsey is someone I rely on a lot, and I just feel like this is the right move for the team,” Stefanski said.
Dorsey, who is one of the 38 quarterbacks to start for the Browns since 1999, is in his first year on Stefanski’s staff. He was let go as Buffalo’s offensive coordinator halfway through last season and was hired by Cleveland in the offseason after Alex Van Pelt was not brought back.
Winston doesn’t expect any problems with this change.
“We’ve been with Ken since training camp,” he said. “His voice has always been in my ear during meetings and even on the field. So I’m excited that he gets another chance to go out there and create some great plays.”
The Browns added experienced quarterback Winston to their roster after having to use five different quarterbacks last season due to injuries. Stefanski’s offense really improved when the team signed Joe Flacco, who went 4-1 as a starter and led Cleveland to the playoffs.
Winston had been the No. 2 quarterback all season, but last week he was moved to No. 3 behind Dorian Thompson-Robinson. When Watson was injured, Thompson-Robinson came in but hurt the middle finger on his throwing hand during the second half against the Bengals.
Thompson-Robinson spoke briefly to reporters before practice, saying he believed he injured it during a sack. Stefanski mentioned that he wanted to see how well Thompson-Robinson could throw in practice before deciding if he would be Winston’s backup against the Ravens.
On Tuesday, the Browns signed quarterback Bailey Zappe from Kansas City’s practice squad. The 25-year-old had made eight starts over two seasons for New England before being released this summer. He beat the Browns in one of those starts, throwing for over 300 yards.
Zappe noted that Cleveland’s offense is similar to the Patriots, which makes this transition a bit easier.
While with the Chiefs, Zappe learned as much as he could from being around QB Patrick Mahomes. He was impressed by Mahomes’ preparation, dedication, and seriousness.
He gained a lot of knowledge about the position but didn’t learn how to throw a behind-the-back pass. “We didn’t get to that part,” Zappe said with a laugh. “Maybe in the seventh week if I was there I would’ve got it.”
