Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Thompson-Robinson is the one player on this list that isn't a free agent, and therefore isn't someone the Browns can just let walk. They'd need to cut him from the roster prior to training camp. If he's cut prior to the June 1 deadline, the team would save $944,433 in cap space. If cut after June 1, the team saves $1,030,000.
The young quarterback has never shown the Browns why he could still be an answer to their starting quarterback woes hiding on the bench. In his time on the field in 2024, he threw for six interceptions and no touchdowns. With a QBR of 18.6, he found himself being just as bad as Watson was in his seven games during the season in just two starts.
His longest pass was just 29 yards, showing just how bad his arm strength and accuracy has been this season with Cleveland in his opportunities to start.
It feels like he's always on the cusp of finding some sort of rhythm, but then he'll literally throw it all away with a very weak pass that's completely off target or with a deep throw intended to land out of bounds that, in fact, just lands in a defenders hands. There's no more defending him as a legitimate backup on this team or any team.
In his defense, Cleveland's offensive line did him no favors in his two starts. He was incessantly pressured by both the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins defensive lines. He was sacked seven times in his two starts, and pressured 14 times by the Bengals alone. With essentially no time to throw, he turned the ball over constantly.
But, in his second year and with two starts, and especially given the fact that it's known he can use his legs to get out of sticky situations such as those more often, it's frustrating to see him essentially have made zero adjustments to his game in his starts.
If Cleveland can draft a decent rookie quarterback in the second or third round who then acts as a backup to either Watson or whatever free agent signal caller the team signs in free agency, then Thompson-Robinson instantly becomes redundant. He just isn't an NFL player or an NFL quarterback, and his spot on the bench can be occupied by someone with a legitimate ceiling to grow and reach behind Watson or a free agent.