This can change drastically depending on what the Browns do in March. But first, we must assess where the position stands with the team entering the offseason. It’s fair to believe Deshaun Watson never plays another down for Cleveland, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson proved in 2024 he’s not good enough to regularly play quarterback in the NFL. That leaves Winston (along with restricted free agent Bailey Zappe) as the only viable option on this roster before the start of the new league year. At one point during Winston’s stint as starter, some believed he was playing himself out of Cleveland’s price range to retain him after the conclusion of his one-year deal, but as we could all foresee happening, the turnover-prone vet ended up making enough mistakes to lose his job and likely bring that price back down. Coach Kevin Stefanski seemed to tire of Winston’s volatility, based on his decision to bench him for Thompson-Robinson (and, in Week 18, for Zappe), and I cannot envision a scenario in which the Browns don’t add to the room this spring. How they do so will directly influence whether Winston returns or heads elsewhere. If they swing a deal for a veteran like Kirk Cousins, consider Winston’s career in Cleveland over. But if they don’t, and instead stand pat before using a draft pick on a quarterback, it would behoove them to stick with a known quantity like Winston. By the time the draft arrives, we’ll likely already know how the Browns intend to proceed.