Well, does Joe Flacco being signed by the Cleveland Browns mean the team won’t be drafting a quarterback with the second overall pick? We believe none of the pundits out there know what Andrew Berry is going to do, but it would not be a shock if they deferred on a QB until later in the selection process.
Whether they find the answer or not, there is one thing we don’t want to hear from the organization heading into the season. And that is we are looking towards next season.
For many years, prior to drafting Baker Mayfield and hiring the current regime, the mantra from the Browns has been like the sign in the bar–“Free beer tomorrow”. Meaning we’ll be good next year.
Enough.
Don’t have a quarterback, fans shouldn’t care. And improvement to let’s say 5-12 or 6-11 shouldn’t be tolerated either. We think many people, both fans and media alike forget the Browns made the playoffs in 2023 with an 11-6 record. That’s just one season before last.
Whether or not it is Flacco or Kenny Pickett or someone they draft this year, Browns’ fans should demand nothing less than a playoff contender.
As for the organization, we have already laid out that most NFL teams have quarterbacks drafted in the first round. Could Cleveland be lucky and find Brock Purdy or Jalen Hurts or perhaps a Russell Wilson later in the draft and have that passer emerge to lead the franchise out of the doldrums?
Sure. And today we could buy a winning lottery ticket.
To us, thinking you are going to find your next long-term starter in rounds #2 or #3 smacks of something the team has been accused of for many years. Thinking they are smarter than everyone else. Sometimes everyone is doing something for a reason, and that reason is generally success.
And if they decide to start the season with Flacco and Pickett backing him up, then devise a system that can win with them behind center. Coach Kevin Stefanski demonstrated he can win and win a lot with Flacco running the offense. They will need a solid running game, so they can operate the play action passing attack the coach prefers.
It’s up to Jim Schwartz to get the defense back to the level it played at in 2023, and it will be helped by not having a QB that turns the football over on a regular basis. By the way, that’s not a rap on Jameis Winston, whom we wanted the team to bring back.
Winston only started less than half the team’s games and Cleveland still led the league in turnovers in 2024.
Since the Browns don’t want to let everyone know who pushed for the Deshaun Watson move, we feel no more excuses should be accepted. Yes, we get this is an expansion team, but it should not take this long for extended success.
Berry, Stefanski, Paul De Podesta, and the Haslam family should know their fan base is tired of watching mostly terrible football over the last 35 years.
The message should be clear. Be better.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 