Had a couple of throws fallen into the proper hands or even safely to the ground, Jameis Winston’s franchise-record performance in Denver could have been a 500-yard passing night that became part of Cleveland Browns lore. Instead, Winston threw two interceptions that the Broncos returned for touchdowns and a third that killed Cleveland’s faint comeback hopes in what became a 41-32 Denver victory.
In the span of a couple of hours — and, really, a few fourth-quarter series — Winston went from leading a suddenly dynamic offense and looking like a strong option for the Browns going forward to apologizing to his teammates for letting them down and promising to pray “for the Lord to deliver me from pick sixes.”
Winston’s powerful arm has at least made the 3-9 Browns watchable. Outside impressive upsets of division rivals Baltimore and Pittsburgh, though, the results have been familiarly bad. But with this season long over, watchable is an upgrade. In Denver, Winston broke Josh McCown’s previous franchise record of 457 passing yards and his previous personal record of 458 by throwing for 497 yards and four touchdowns.
With Deshaun Watson as the starter for the first seven weeks, the Browns never got to 20 points and Watson didn’t reach 200 passing yards in a game. Winston threw three touchdown passes in his first start as the Browns upset the Ravens, and twice in the last three weeks Winston has thrown for more yards in the first half than Watson did in any game this season.
When Winston led the NFL with 5,109 passing yards for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019, he also threw a league-high 30 interceptions. In Denver, he had his second three-interception game in his five Browns starts. His turnovers have been a lingering issue, and it potentially could further complicate Cleveland’s upcoming decision at the game’s most important position.
Winston, 30, is on a one-year contract and is again eligible for free agency in March. He told reporters last week that he’s loved his time in Cleveland and hopes he doesn’t have to move again, but there are layers to this situation. Lots of layers. The Browns signed Winston to be the backup to Watson, who’s again on season-ending injured reserve and was so bad this season that he can’t possibly be in the team’s plans going forward.
But the Browns still have Watson under contract through 2026 and still have more than $170 million in salary-cap commitments to him as part of the fully guaranteed deal they gave Watson in 2022. The Browns in April have a first-round pick for the first time since 2021, and they’ll have to at least consider using it on a quarterback of the future.
Even if they draft a quarterback early, they might still need a short-term answer. Because Watson has two years left on his contract and is currently set to count on the team’s salary cap through 2028, he’s likely to still be on the roster in 2025 even if he’s not healthy at the start of the year — or even if he’s not in the team’s future on-field plans.
Given Winston’s experience, his readiness to play in the wake of Watson’s injury and the way he’s energized the Browns’ receiving corps since late October, it’s fairly easy to make the case for him to return in 2025 as sort of a bridge quarterback — with at least a little bit of a bet on the upside of his arm and chemistry with pass catchers. If you believe ball security is job security and that’s the reason Winston went 25 months between starts before this opportunity, it’s also fairly easy to think the Browns could or should go for a fresh start and let Winston leave as they seek a longer-term solution.
With Winston, there’s no simple answer — and that’s OK. The way he slings it, both sides might be at least a little bit right. Let’s explore further.
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Browns pass catchers thriving with Winston
With 33 receptions in Winston’s five starts and 235 yards and a touchdown Monday night against his former team, wide receiver Jerry Jeudy is having the best stretch of his career. He got more than $40 million in guarantees from the Browns in March but had just one reception in each of Watson’s three October starts. Now, Jeudy is tied for fifth in the NFL with 880 receiving yards and is playing with clear confidence.
Second-year receiver Cedric Tillman missed last week’s game due to a concussion, but he’s also taken off since Winston took over. Tillman had his first two NFL touchdowns in the Browns’ upset of the Ravens, and over the last month-plus he’s gone from non-factor to consistent contributor at various levels of the field. The Browns have few certainties going forward, but they’re going to have Jeudy and Tillman at least near the top of their receiver rotation next season, and both are thriving with Winston.
Though his arm strength is maybe his greatest asset, Winston has also gotten the ball out of his hand quickly. In Denver, both Jeudy and Elijah Moore went over 100 yards. Michael Woods II, playing on a practice squad elevation, caught three passes for 43 yards.
They’re not all fastballs, either. The first of Winston’s two touchdown throws to David Njoku was perfectly placed with enough touch to allow the tight end to secure it between two Broncos defenders. The tight-window throws are beautiful. The interceptions are just painful.
“You go into it wanting to be productive in the pass game while taking care of the football,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “Obviously, Jameis understands that. He’s aware of what he needs to do for this football team. And it’s always something that you coach. I don’t think you ever stop coaching players, however many games they’ve played in this league. So, he’s a player that I believe can get better, and part of that will be taking care of the ball. But I don’t want to lose sight of some really good moments from him (Monday) night.”
Winston provides a downfield element
In two-plus seasons with Watson, the Browns only succeeded at lowering the bar. The offense had no plays over 40 yards and didn’t reach 300 total yards in a game until Winston played in mop-up duty in Week 7. For the second straight season, a veteran backup playing as an injury replacement has added excitement and a downfield element to the Browns offense that didn’t exist with Watson as the starter.
Maybe just competent quarterback play isn’t that hard to find. Or, maybe the Browns would have one or two more wins had they made the change earlier in the season, even with the occasional crippling interception.
Per RBSDM.com’s quarterback efficiency numbers (EPA per play plus completion percentage over expected), Winston ranks 19th among 35 eligible passers. Watson’s season numbers rank 33rd. Winston’s success rate per dropback is an unremarkable 46.7 percent, which also ranks 19th. For the Browns, just getting first downs and getting the ball to Jeudy with room to run is a marked upgrade.
Winston focused on the present
Tampa Bay moved on from Winston in favor of Tom Brady ahead of the 2020 season, and Winston landed in New Orleans as an understudy to Drew Brees. Following Brees’ retirement, Winston started 5-2 for the Saints in 2021 with a 14:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio before suffering a torn ACL. Winston received a new contract but wasn’t healthy and was benched after just three starts in 2022. He didn’t start again until this season.
With few exceptions, Winston has mostly deflected questions about both his future and past, saying he’s grateful for this opportunity and focused only on the present.
“I am certain that when I am making great decisions one play at a time, I am a great NFL quarterback,” Winston said. “I am certain of that.”
Taking the good with the bad
The Browns beat the Ravens thanks to late heroics by Winston and Tillman. And also thanks to the Ravens dropping three would-be interceptions.
Per Pro Football Focus, Winston has made 10 big-time throws this season and 12 deemed as turnover-worthy. Winston has been around 5 percent on turnover-worthy throws in most seasons he’s seen extended action, and he’s at 4.7 percent for his career. Only once — that seven-game stretch in 2021 — has Winston’s big-time throw percentage been greater than his turnover-worthy play percentage throughout a season.
The Browns have won two of Winston’s five starts, both against division rivals that appear headed for the postseason. In 80 previous starts for the Buccaneers and Saints, Winston was 34-46 as a starter. He posted one winning record (9-7 in 2016) in three full seasons as the Bucs’ starter after they made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2015.
So, what’s the plan for next season?
Winston has a unique personality, delivers off-the-cuff pregame speeches and often hilarious postgame Winston-isms. If the Browns think he’s the right player to help the team get a fresh start and potentially tutor a rookie quarterback, they’re more likely to try to bring him back.
Stefanski and Winston’s teammates have praised the quarterback’s work ethic. With Watson recovering from shoulder surgery, Winston was the No. 1 quarterback for the entire spring program until the mandatory minicamp in mid-June. The results from the last month say Winston knows and commands the offense, and the team has seen since April how Winston has handled offensive installation and the up-and-down nature of the season. Even with “Hard Knocks” cameras now in the building, it’s unlikely anyone with the Browns will reveal how the folks in charge truly view Winston.
Watson was the starter for almost all of training camp, but Winston started two preseason games and was first in when Watson was given a day — or even a drill — off. Winston was also the primary backup for the first six games. He got a surprise demotion in Week 7 to the third quarterback, but he finished the game after both Watson and Dorian Thompson-Robinson suffered injuries. Beating the Ravens the following week was a pretty good way for Winston to make up for whatever got him demoted, and Stefanski wouldn’t talk about it.
Right now, it’s just too early to know which direction the Browns will go on multiple fronts. It’s too early to know if they’ll retain general manager Andrew Berry and how the team — regardless of who’s in charge — will handle the salary cap, Watson’s remaining dollars and several other high-profile decisions with an aging roster. Presumably, Winston will get at least a couple more chances to play as the starter. It’s possible Thompson-Robinson could get a shot before the season is over.
Winston’s big throws and big numbers are at least tantalizing, and given a lack of interesting available veterans elsewhere, Winston is probably atop a short list of realistic options for early 2025. If you think the Browns already know what they have in Winston and might deem it not good enough, that’s fair, too. The immediate future isn’t exactly promising, but it seems wide open at quarterback.
“Jameis is always capable of throwing four touchdowns,” longtime Browns guard Joel Bitonio said after Cleveland beat Baltimore. “He can lead the league in touchdowns and lead the league in interceptions. That’s kind of his style of play. He’s so good at compartmentalizing. He’s on to the next play.”
(Top photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
