When the Cleveland Browns signed Jameis Winston to back up DeShaun Watson in 2024, it caused more than a few fans to scratch their head around NFL circles.
Sure, Winston isn't regarded the same way he was coming out of Florida State, the top player in his draft class who would seemingly lead the Buccaneers to incredible success for decades to come, but he remains one of the top backup quarterbacks in the NFL, with his contract value on-par with the prove-it deal Baker Mayfield signed with Tampa Bay last year. If the Browns wanted a pure backup, they could have simply brought back Joe Flacco, who no one believes will become a long-term starting quarterback anymore now that he's approaching 40, but instead, they brought in a player who went 6-3 as a starter over the past four seasons in New Orleans and has a 5,000-yard passing season on his resume.
Did the Browns sign Winston to help Watson or push him for playing time?
Asked about Winston's role with the Browns ahead of Cleveland's preseason debut against the Green Bay Packers, head coach Kevin Stefanski noted just how important their new QB is to the team and why his addition to the depth chart has been beneficial on multiple levels.
“Jameis has done a great job since day one getting in here. He definitely has an infectious personality. You hear him before you see him, but he's done a really nice job. This is a new system for Jameis. He's learning like a lot of the new players in the system are, but he's really taken the bid, worked hard at it, and he's had some nice momentum,” Stefanski told reporters.
“That backup position, we've all seen it over the years. Certainly, we've seen it, but just in my time, it's an important position. You don't get a ton of reps. You have to be ready to roll at a moment's notice. But you can have a great impact on the football team, both on the field and off the field. So, I've seen some great ones. I don't think it's a mistake when you see a lot of coaches come from that backup quarterback position. It's kind of like backup catchers and point guards and those type of things. It's a cerebral position where I think you get a lot of guys that understand all the nuances of this game.”
Asked if he was surprised to see Winston embrace his current role despite his past pedigree, Stefanski said no, noting that the former FSU quarterback has the right mindset to succeed in his current role.
“Yeah, not surprisingly, he's a team guy all the way; he wants to win badly. And like you mentioned, Jameis has had a, you know, an interesting career to date, but the book's never written. He's a guy that works hard at his craft and like right now, his main goal in life is to get better as a football player and help his football team, and that's what he's doing,” Stefanski noted.
“I think he's a good football player. I'd really start there. He's played a lot of games in this league, won a lot of football games. So that's really the most important piece. Now, obviously, he's a good person and, in that way, can support all of his teammates.”
Will the Browns eventually have to call someone other than Watson's number in 2024, either due to injury or poor play? Considering how the last few years have shaken out, that feels very possible. Fortunately, Cleveland has invested in a player like Winston, who has been there before and will at least have the support of his teammates, even if his touchdown-to-interception ratio will seemingly always be a concern.
Kevin Stefanski explains the Browns' preseason QB usage
Speaking of the role Winston will play for the Browns in 2024, if the team's preseason debut is of any indication, the coaching staff has already seen enough of their QB2 to limit his summer action against live bullets, as he only ended up throwing five passes before he called it a night.
Asked about Winston's limited workload, Stefanski noted that he thought the FUS product handled his playing time well, even if he didn't get much of it.
“Yeah, I thought he operated well. Again, so much of this, I know we talk about that word operation, but it's getting your team from the huddle to the line of scrimmage, making the correct run checks, pass checks, that type of thing. I thought he did a nice job.”
For better or worse, Preseason Week 1 was all about Dorian Thompson-Robinson, the 2023 fifth-round pick out of UCLA who completed 14-18 passes for 134 yards against the Packers. Considering the team's decision to sign former Pro Bowler Tyler Huntley to compete for QB3 with DTR, it's safe to say Winston is locked in at QB2.
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