In Week 8, against the Baltimore Ravens, Jameis Winston arrived.
He had three touchdowns and no giveaways against an elite, potentially Super Bowl-contending team, and the Cleveland Browns seemed to have turned themselves around behind his performance and after dealing with seven weeks of subpar play from Deshaun Watson.
He then started to get shaky. He even turned to prayer, to ask God to "take his pick-6's away."
Finally, in Week 15, Winston closed the door on himself being the potential perfect bridge quarterback for the Browns in 2025.
With three interceptions against a Kansas City Chiefs defense that's been shaky all year long, Winston confirmed that Cleveland needs to look at a quarterback with their first round draft pick. He was electric in his first few starts for the Browns - even making some feel they could squeeze into the Wild Card in the AFC given how talented the roster is - but he completely fumbled it.
He was officially benched in the fourth quarter of the Browns' game against the Chiefs, with head coach Kevin Stefanski opting for Dorian Thompson-Robinson to essentially run the clock down and make the loss more tolerable.
Winston has yet to show that he can be a consistent starter in the NFL in his nine years playing for three different teams. It's valid to ask why anyone would think this version of him - older, rustier, and settled in his ways - would be any better than he had been in the past. But, the Browns needed to cling to any positivity, and Winston certainly provided that in his time as starter for the team.
Read more: 3 quarterback options Browns could pursue to replace Deshaun Watson
Now, the Browns once again have a decision to make at signal caller. With three more games to go on the season, Cleveland could opt for starting Thomson-Robinson and just accept a tank job as their fate. They can also keep trotting Winston out as the veteran option at the position. Either way, they don't have any reason to believe Winston is going to be the answer beyond this season.
Given recent reporting from Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that the Browns plan on bringing Deshaun Watson back in 2025 and giving him a shot to compete for the starting job, it'd take a major signing or acquisition in the offseason to get Watson fully out of the way.
Whether that means drafting a competent rookie QB or signing another veteran QB on a prove it deal, it doesn't matter if Cleveland doesn't also revamp their offensive line and their running back room. But, one things for sure - Winston, regardless of pass protection, is simply not the solution to the Browns' Watson problem.