CLEVELAND — Dorian Thompson-Robinson was here before. It was just over a year ago in fact.

Back then, in Week 4 of last season, Thompson-Robinson was a rookie fifth-round pick being thrown into the starting lineup against the Baltimore Ravens with only a few hours' notice because of a shoulder injury to starter Deshaun Watson. It was not a pleasant overall experience.

Sunday, Thompson-Robinson was a year older and a handful of games played more wiser when he found himself thrown into the fire in the second quarter of a 21-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals when Watson suffered an Achilles injury. Even with multiple games under his belt from the previous year, he still couldn't shake the familiarity to that Ravens game from last season in terms of how he performed.

"I mean, not good enough to win," Thompson-Robinson said after going 11-of-24 passing for 82 yards with two interceptions and a 19.8 passer rating against Cincinnati. "So a lot of things I got to do to clean up, get back to it. Kind of gave me flashbacks of being back at the Ravens game last year and a feeling I don't want, a feeling that has a bad taste in my mouth and something that I need to look myself in the mirror and make sure I'm coming out prepared next week."

Thompson-Robinson's preparation for next week won't just be about how he practices. Whether or not he starts for the Browns on Sunday against the Ravens will hinge on the impact a finger injury he suffered against the Bengals, which led to Jameis Winston coming in for the final drive.

The extent of the injury remains unknown, although Thompson-Robinson confirmed he had an X-ray already done on the finger. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game he would have a better idea Monday once all the testing was complete.

"Just fell on it wrong on the sack," Thompson-Robinson said. "I was trying to hold it together and just ultimately couldn't hold onto the ball."

That could ultimately determine whether or not Thompson-Robinson gets the start against Baltimore. If not, it's likely going to be Winston, who went 5-of-11 passing for 67 yards and a touchdown on the Browns' final drive Sunday.

Winston had been the No. 2 quarterback all season until this week, when Thompson-Robinson and he were flipped on the depth chart.

"I knew fairly later in the week," Thompson-Robinson said of the change. "Still doing my normal routine, doing scout team, pushing those guys on defense. I do all my extracurricular work, whether I'm a backup or not, to make sure I'm prepared for the game each week."

It is, in some ways, very much like last season for Thompson-Robinson. Except that, after that Ravens game, he was demoted to the No. 3 behind, technically, an injured Watson and P.J. Walker, who started two games and finished another for Watson because of his shoulder issues.

However, Thompson-Robinson returned to the starting role when Watson's season ended with a broken glenoid suffered in a Week 10 win over the Ravens. He started the next two games — a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and a loss at the Denver Broncos — before he was knocked out of the Broncos game with a concussion.

That experience from a year ago is something his teammates believe will be a benefit. It's certainly part of their message to Thompson-Robinson.

"Slow the game down," defensive end Myles Garrett said. "Take your time. We as your teammates, as your family, have your back. You don't have make every single play and not every play has to be a big play. You can slowly grind it down the field or if you see that big play, go for it. But it doesn't have to be every single one.

"And we believe in his throwing ability, we believe in his legs, but don't take unnecessary hits. Don't take unnecessary risks and just go for those plays when you see them. Don't force anything."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Dorian Thompson-Robinson back in middle of Browns QB drama