With Cleveland Browns starting quarterback Deshaun Watson being put on injured reserve with a shoulder injury and the team looking to go in a different direction than backup P.J. Walker, it looks to be Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s job for the time being.
As Week 11 fast approaches and a matchup with the rival Pittsburgh Steelers at home up next, DTR is going to get an opportunity to show what he is made of as a starter on the NFL stage. Let’s take a closer look at the rookie quarterback and his time in college ahead of Sunday’s contest.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s Early Life
DTR was born on Nov. 14, 1999, in Columbia, South Carolina, while his mother was working on her degree at the University of South Carolina.
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Eventually, DTR and his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he attended high school football powerhouse Bishop Gorman. DTR was a four-star recruit and passed for 3,275 passing yards and 38 touchdowns as a senior while also rushing for 426 yards and seven touchdowns.
After an active recruitment that saw him receive several D-I scholarship offers, he committed to play college football at UCLA.
Thompson-Robinson’s College Career
DTR came into college football and made an immediate impact at UCLA while seeing action in ten games in 2018, his freshman season at UCLA.
In 2019, DTR officially became the starting quarterback and started 11 of 12 games that season. He tallied 2,701 passing yards and 198 rushing yards, the tenth-most total yards for a UCLA player in a single season. His 25 touchdowns– 21 of which came through the air — also ranked 10th all-time in a single season for a UCLA player.
That 2019 season kicked off a four-year starting stint for DTR as the Bruins’ starting quarterback, as he spent a total of five seasons playing for the school due to the extra year exemption college athletes were granted due to a shortened or lost COVID season in 2020.
DTR finished his college career appearing in 50 games, starting 48 of them and compiling a 24-24 record. Statistically, DTR finished with 10,695 passing yards on a 63.3% completion rate, 88 touchdown passes, and 35 interceptions. He also finished his college career with 1,827 rushing yards and 28 rushing touchdowns.
Following his five-year college career, DTR was selected by the Browns in the fifth round, 140th overall, in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Browns received the 140th pick from the Los Angeles Rams after trading Troy Hill back to Los Angeles following a one-year stay in Cleveland.
DTR introduced himself to the NFL world in the preseason with multiple quality performances that forced the Browns to keep him on their 53-man roster. Fast forward to the current day, and he now has an opportunity to once again prove he belongs, this time in Week 11 of the regular season against a hated division rival.
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