Originally rostering just two quarterbacks a year ago, Dorian Thompson-Robinson won the backup quarterback job. A year later, he has done all that he can to make sure that he remains on the initial 53-man roster in Cleveland.
And due to a rule change veto by the NFL Players Association, his pathway to staying on the active roster just got clearer. This offseason, a rule change was enacted that would allow for teams to promote a practice squad quarterback every week as an emergency third quarterback that would not count against the gameday roster.
However, the NFLPA has vetoed that rule (according to Tom Pelissero), so that the third quarterback who is designated as the emergency player on gameday either has to use one of their practice squad elevations or has to be a member of the 53-man roster.
For a team that had as many struggles with quarterbacks as the Browns did a year ago, they must retain Thompson-Robinson on their active roster in case of emergency. He has proven to leap in year two thus far, and as the third-string quarterback, he still has plenty of opportunities to learn and let the information soak in.
Keep the young man around.