Football mercifully returned on Thursday night with the Hall of Fame Game matchup between the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns. Our first competitive look at the rookies in 2023 offered up some encouraging performances.
There was one rookie in particular who stood out in the preseason opener. Browns fifth-round quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson had a wonderful debut in Cleveland’s 21-16 win in nearby Canton.
Thompson-Robinson took over for Kellen Mond in the second half and guided the Browns on two impressive scoring drives to engineer the comeback win. With regular starter Deshaun Watson and presumptive No. 2 Joshua Dobbs watching, Thompson-Robinson sure looked like the more composed, more accurate and more exciting option to be the Browns’ third QB.
He made a handful of improvisational plays that harkened back to his UCLA days, including this masterful escape:
DTR after dark is back pic.twitter.com/5Noq3cTXvm
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) August 4, 2023
“DTR”, as he was known in scouting shorthand, did it all. He threw a touchdown pass, a crisp throw leading receiver Austin Watkins away from coverage and hit him in perfect stride. He completed 8-of-11 passes for 82 yards and the touchdown while also running for 30 more. Oh yeah, he directly aided a rushing touchdown by Demetric Felton with a block:
DTR with the block… pic.twitter.com/wzwKeQ0jGK
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 4, 2023
