We say this all the time, but the easiest thing to do for a front office for a major sports league front office is to tear down the roster. Why? Because there are two things a team can sell its fans, winning or hope. And trading assets for draft picks provides the latter.
The toughest thing to do is trying to win. Because if you try and don’t succeed as a general manager, you lose your job. Which is where the Browns should be with their current front office. They opened a contention window with the tanking in 2016 and 2017, and all they have to show for it is two playoff appearances and one post-season victory.
Many people are praising the New York Jets for what they did at the NFL trade deadline, trading Sauce Gardner for two first-round picks and Quinnen Williams for another. Presumably, the Jets are looking for their “franchise” quarterback.
Apparently, everyone has forgotten they drafted one with the second overall pick just four years ago in Zach Wilson. How has that worked out?
Meanwhile, the Jets haven’t made the playoffs since 2010 and have had only one winning season (10-6 in 2015) since then.
We question whether the tanking method has worked for any team in recent years. Look at the best teams in the NFL over the last 10 or so years.
The Kansas City Chiefs have won three Super Bowls since 2019. Their worst record since 2010 was a 2-14 mark in 2012 after which they hired Andy Reid. They had the first pick in the ’13 draft and took OT Eric Fisher, not a quarterback.
Philadelphia has won two NFL titles since 2017. They had two seasons since 2010 where they won four games (’12 and ’20). They had the fourth overall pick in 2013 and took OT Lane Johnson, and with the 10th pick in ’21 they took DeVonta Smith.
Buffalo is a perennial contender in the AFC. Their lowest win total since 2010 was a 4-12 record that year. They didn’t draft a QB following that season. They had a 9-7 record the season before they drafted Josh Allen.
Another seemingly perpetual good team is the Baltimore Ravens. They went 5-11 in 2015, their worst record in the last 15 years. They took an offensive lineman, Ronnie Stanley with their top ten pick the following year.
Let’s do one more team, the San Francisco 49ers, who have lost three Super Bowls since 2012. They did finish 2-14 in ’16, drafted DE Solomon Thomas the following season and hired Kyle Shanahan to be the head coach. They did have a 4-12 record in 2018 and again took a DE, Nick Bosa, in the next draft.
We have discussed Joe Burrow being the only top QB taken with the first overall pick, but the Bengals didn’t really tank. Yes, their worst record was 2-14, the year prior to taking Burrow, but they were kind of stuck in mediocrity before that, finishing with six or seven wins the previous three seasons after five straight playoff appearances.
The point is people keep saying the Browns (and other teams) should tank to get their QB when there really isn’t any evidence that it works.
But why do teams keep doing it? To sell hope. To sell the fan base they are going to get the next Patrick Mahomes, Allen, Lamar Jackson, or Burrow. It’s the easiest way to bide time to keep their jobs.
Enjoy the process though!
Cleveland Sports Perspective 