Dorian Thompson-Robinson made his first UFL start for the Birmingham Stallions on Friday night, and the numbers were good enough to win most weeks. They were not enough against the DC Defenders. Thompson-Robinson completed 28 of 43 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns, added 43 rushing yards and another score, and still watched Birmingham lose 45-28.
The loss was Birmingham's fourth straight and dropped the Stallions to 1-4. Thompson-Robinson had been with the team for less than a week before the start, after Birmingham acquired him in a trade from the Orlando Storm on April 19 and sent quarterback Matt Corral and defensive end Amani Bledsoe the other way. He was intercepted twice, though both picks came on tipped passes, a rough edge on an otherwise productive debut.
For Thompson-Robinson, the night was the latest stop in a quarterback career that has already moved through several leagues and several kinds of expectations. Cleveland selected him in the fifth round with the No. 140 overall pick in the 2023 draft after he left UCLA as the program's all-time leader in total offense. He struggled in the NFL, completing 121 of 230 passes for 880 yards with one touchdown and 10 interceptions in Cleveland, then was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of last season as part of the deal for Kenny Pickett and waived before the regular season. Orlando drafted him in January, but Jack Plummer won that job in camp and has since thrown for 996 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception as the Storm sit at 4-1.
That path helps explain why Birmingham turned to him so quickly. The Stallions needed a change after four straight losses, and Thompson-Robinson gave them playmaking ability immediately, even if the result did not change. The Browns still have not named a starter, with Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel all in the mix, a reminder that Thompson-Robinson's football story is still tied to a crowded quarterback market far beyond Birmingham.
