The lone bright spot a few weeks back in what was a fairly dismal Hall of Fame game, Cleveland quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed 13-of-25 passes for 164 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in a half of action as the Browns played to an 18-18 preseason tie with the Eagles on Thursday night.
Thompson-Robinson, who also committed a fumble that he recovered and led a 75-yard drive that ended on a fumble at the Eagles’ three-yard line, had another highlight play against Philadelphia, but it was a highly unusual one for a quarterback to make.
Not shy about throwing his body around, Thompson-Robinson attempted to help spring Cleveland running back Demetric Felton for a long run by blocking Eagles safety Terrell Edmunds in the middle of a play. No problem. Then, as the play was coming to a close with Edmunds still in pursuit, Thompson-Robinson knocked him to the ground and was called for a personal foul for a blindside block.
It was unquestionably a cheap shot and a mistake by the rookie fifth-round pick out of UCLA and, to his credit, Thompson-Robinson acknowledged that afterward. “I have a sweet spot for Felt,” he said. “When he has the ball I want to stick my nose in there. But Coach Stefanski definitely let me have it after that one. No penalties. I definitely have to work on that going forward.”
Thompson-Robinson’s 15-yard penalty for the illegal block negated a 12-yard run by Felton. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was not a fan of the lost yardage, but he did enjoy seeing his young quarterback throw his weight around.
“I didn’t like that penalty and he knows that rule that you can’t block back,” Stefanski said. “I love the kid’s effort. I love the feistiness. I love that he wants to throw his body around, and his teammates love that. But I don’t love hurting the team with a penalty.”
The Browns May Have Something in Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Thompson-Robinson led two touchdown drives in the Hall of Fame gameLooking to lock up the No. 3 job over Kellen Mond behind starter Deshaun Watson and backup Joshua Dobbs, Thompson-Robinson will have his last chance to prove himself in Cleveland’s exhibition finale against the Chiefs on the road on August 26.
DTR has a good shot at beating out Mond, who was 12-for-24 for 126 yards and a TD against Philly, as he is the more electric player and could get on the field at other positions besides quarterback. “I thought they both played really well,” Stefanski said. “We need to score points better, finish drives.”
Throw more blindside blocks?
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