Report: Dorian Thompson-Robinson to start at QB for Browns with Deshaun Watson injured

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson will make his first NFL career start Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, per Dov Kleiman. Deshaun Watson is reportedly unable to play this weekend.

Thompson-Robinson was a 10,000-yard passer over his five seasons at UCLA before being selected by the Browns in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Watson injured his throwing shoulder against the Tennessee Titans last week. Despite the injury, Watson put together his best game as a Browns quarterback in the 27-3 victory, completing 27 of 33 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns.

Watson has been nursing his shoulder and was limited the entire week at practice. It seems he’ll rest this week against Baltimore in an effort to return during Week 5 against the San Francisco 49ers.

Cleveland has also elevated quarterback PJ Walker from the practice squad and will serve as the emergency quarterback for the Browns this weekend.

On the flip side, the Ravens have been preparing for the Browns all the same regardless of who is at quarterback.

“We’ll be prepared. But everything coming out of there is that Deshaun is going to play,” said Ravens coach John Harbaugh. “And we’re preparing for the Browns. It’s the schemes they run [on] all three phases. It’s not so much about any one player, ever.”

The opening kickoff between the Browns and Ravens is set for 1 p.m. ET.

More on Thompson-Robinson before NFL

Thompson-Robinson was a four-star recruit out of high school powerhouse Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was ranked the No. 43 overall player and the No. 4 quarterback in his 2018 recruiting class according to On3’s Industry Rankings, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services, choosing to stay on the West Coast and attend UCLA. 

He played in all five of his seasons at UCLA and made 48 career starts under center during his career with the Bruins. Thompson-Robinson leaves UCLA as the school’s all-time leader in total offense with 12,536 yards, completions with 860, total touchdowns with 116, touchdown passes with 88, and passing yards with 10,710. 

Thompson-Robinson helped lead the Bruins to their best season since 2014, finishing the year with a 9-4 record behind his arms and legs. The dual-threat threw for a career-high 3,154 yards and 27 touchdowns last season, along with career-high rushing numbers with 646 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground.