One name that wasn’t linked to the Cleveland Browns before free agency was QB Jameis Winston.

Still, the Browns went out and signed the player that not many had on their radar to a one-year deal. It may be a surprise to many of us, but it wasn’t for the team once they knew he was attainable.

“If it seemed like Winston came out of nowhere for the Browns, it’s because they expected him to re-sign with the Saints for his fifth season there,” said Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland Dot Com. “They viewed him as an excellent bridge QB over the past few years, but didn’t think he was attainable. When he became available, it wasn’t difficult to pivot to him over Joe Flacco.”

Cleveland is promised to head into 2024 with Winston as the firm backup and Dorian Thompson-Robinson or Tyler Huntley behind him. The more likely would be DTR, who the Browns spent a fifth-round pick on in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Winston’s last four years of his career was with the Saints where he started 10 of the 21 games he played in. An injury sidelined Winston for a good part of the 2023 season. Anytime your starter goes down you want to have a capable backup that can step up and Winston is just that.

Joe Flacco has moved on to the Indianapolis Colts and Winston represents a better fit for the Browns. Many fans were upset that Flacco wasn’t retained, but the Browns got the guy they’ve been interested in for a while.