The Cleveland Browns’ 27-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday officially eliminated Cleveland from playoff contention, the latest blow in a disappointing season for a team that entered with hopes of a deep postseason run.
The defeat also marked the franchise’s 18th 10-loss season since returning to Cleveland in 1999, the most in the NFL during that span.
As the Browns returned from their mid-November bye at 2-7, players spoke of making a late-season run to the playoffs and rectifying a bleak season. Three of four losses since then have relegated Cleveland to playing for “the love of the game” and to be a spoiler, as safety Grant Delpit recently said, in the final month of the season.
At the bye, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was asked about giving the team’s young players more playing time to evaluate them, and Stefanski answered by saying that winning remained the utmost priority. He doubled down on that notion Monday, saying he would continue to start Jameis Winston at quarterback over second-year player Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
“Our focus right now is just trying to find ways to get a win,” Stefanski said.
With four games left in the season, it won’t be long until the Browns have to evaluate an aging and expensive roster that is in position to be retooled in the offseason. The current group of first- and second-year players could factor greatly into their plans for next year.
Here are five young players the Browns could benefit from evaluating over the final month of the season.
Thompson-Robinson, a 2023 fifth-round pick, impressed during training camp with a greater mastery of the offense compared to his rookie season and was one of three quarterbacks the Browns kept on the active roster entering Week 1. He was briefly promoted to the backup spot in Week 7 and thrust into action when Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending right Achilles tendon tear but looked uncomfortable running the offense before leaving the game because of a thumb injury.
In 2023, Thompson made three uneven starts before the Browns signed Joe Flacco, who helped lead the team to the postseason. The team has remained bullish on Thompson-Robinson’s potential, and he provides a running element that could help an offense that ranks 30th in rushing yards per attempt (3.8) this season.
With Watson struggling before another significant injury and Winston set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, Cleveland would benefit from seeing if Thompson-Robinson can be a capable backup or short-term option paired with a rookie quarterback in 2025.
In August, Thrash was the recipient of the Maurice Bassett Award as the Browns’ most outstanding rookie during training camp and the preseason, as voted by the local media. The team’s trade of wide receiver Amari Cooper in mid-October and a recent concussion to fellow wideout Cedric Tillman has opened more opportunities for Thrash.
A 2024 fifth-round pick, Thrash played a combined 31 offensive snaps in Weeks 11 to 13 before a shoulder injury sidelined him in Week 14. He has caught three passes for 22 yards this season but led the team in receiving yards during the preseason. The Browns like Thrash’s ability to separate and play in multiple spots, both qualities that the offensive coaching staff value.
