The latest Cleveland Browns news and notes from around the NFL in the Sunday Dawg Chow.
The Cleveland Browns are turning to Dorian Thompson-Robinson today as the starting quarterback against the Cincinnati Bengals.
When DTR takes his first snap of the game it will mark the 11th time since 1999 that the Browns have started at least three different quarterbacks in a season. Even for a team filled with crazy stats at the quarterback position, that is a feat that defies logic.
It also shows how much the season has gone off the rails after Deshaun Watson was lost to another season-ending injury after navigating the Browns through seven games of the worst offensive play in decades and Cleveland getting a full taste of the Jameis Winston “experience.”
Now it is Thompson-Robinson’s turn to show … something … as the Browns play out the string on another lost season. The Bengals present an interesting opportunity as their defense has been as bad as Cleveland’s offense this season.
If DTR can’t help the offense put some points on the board against this Cincinnati defense, then the likelihood of Bailey Zappe getting a turn increases.
Oh, who are we kidding? The Browns and quarterbacks go together like oil and water, so it is almost a lock that Zappe will pick up a start before all is said and done.
But there is still a game to be played today, so let’s kick off the day with the latest edition of the Sunday Dawg Chow.
Dawgs By Nature:
- Scouting the Cincinnati Bengals with our Q&A with Cincy Jungle (Chris Pokorny) – On Sunday, the Cleveland Browns take on the Cincinnati Bengals. To help preview a few topics from the Chiefs’ perspective, we reached out to Anthony Cosenza from Cincy Jungle and exchanged five questions with him.
- Kirk Cousins’ next destination likely going to be about more than money (Jared Mueller) – The Cleveland Browns have spent pretty much every season since The Return in 1999 trying to find their Franchise QB. There have been fleeing moments where the answer seemed to have donned the orange and brown but those have ended up in failures, one way or the other.
- Browns trades: Amari Cooper struggles with Bills, Za’Darius Smith solid for Lions (Jared Mueller) – Two talented veterans were dealt away as the Cleveland Browns season fell apart. WR Amari Cooper was dealt to the Buffalo Bills in mid-October and has since thrown shade at his former team. DE Za’Darius Smith was dealt to the Detroit Lions at the NFL trade deadline.
- Myles Garrett giving the Browns 2 options could limit team’s upside, future (Jared Mueller) – In so many ways, DE Myles Garrett speaks for fans of the Cleveland Browns. He’s made it clear that his goal is to win the city a Super Bowl championship, he’s bought an ownership stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers (something many fans would love to be able to do) and, now, has made it clear that he does not want to start a rebuild with the Browns.
Cleveland Browns:
- Bailey Zappe not changing prep whether he’s Browns’ No. 2 or No. 3 quarterback vs. Bengals (Beacon Journal) – Bailey Zappe’s season since signing with the Browns in October has pretty much followed the same script. The quarterback has handled the scout team repetitions in practice. He’s been in all of the meetings. Then, when Sunday came around, he was inactive for the game as the No. 3 quarterback behind Jameis Winston and Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
- Can Browns stop NFL’s top passing attack and wreck Bengals’ season? (cleveland.com) – The Browns head down to Cincinnati this weekend with revenge on their minds. After falling to the Bengals 21-14 in Week 7, Cleveland will try to get right against a division opponent that is facing a must-win scenario. Can the Browns pull it off? Here are three storylines to know ahead of the game.
- Cleveland’s night crew tackles post-tailgate cleanup with tried-and-true gameplan (Ideastream) – The Cleveland Browns have three more games this season, just one of them on their home turf, and that means there’s just one more chance in the city for tailgating. A short 15-minute walk from the stadium, the Muni Lot is a perfect spot for fans to gather and show their support for their home team. It was cold and wet on Cleveland’s Municipal Parking Lot a few hours after the Browns fell to the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday 21-7. The tailgaters had long since left, and the lot was nearly empty. That’s when a new team took this field.
- Myles Garrett puts Browns decision-makers on notice, and they should listen — no rebuild (Browns Zone) – Myles Garrett is a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro. He’s the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. He’s on his way to induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He wants more.
NFL:
- Falcons expected to cut Kirk Cousins before $10M bonus due (ESPN) – Kirk Cousins’ divorce from the Atlanta Falcons is expected to be finalized before his $10 million roster bonus is due March 17, with executives across the NFL fully expecting Atlanta to release him by then. The split between Cousins and the Falcons is inevitable at this point, according to multiple sources.
- How Steelers great Ryan Shazier found new career in coaching (ESPN) – Wearing a black puffer jacket and a black Pittsburgh Steelers-logoed beanie punctuated with a thick yellow stripe, Ryan Shazier hooks his arms through the straps of a red blocking pad and braces himself for impact.
- Texans WR Tank Dell carted off with knee injury after TD catch vs Chiefs (Associated Press) – Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell was carted off the field with what appeared to be a severe left knee injury that he sustained while hauling in a 30-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud early in the second half against the Chiefs on Saturday.