The NFL Draft Not Really Big For Browns’ Fans This Year.

The annual NFL Draft takes place this week in Las Vegas and as a Browns’ fan, we can’t imagine it having any less buzz.

GM Andrew Berry traded his first round pick this year and the two years following to get QB Deshaun Watson from Houston. And as we have said before, despite anyone’s personal feelings about Watson’s situation, he is (in our opinion) a top five quarterback in the NFL.

So, no debates on what the Browns need to do about that position for several years.

When you take a broad picture of this football team, it’s a pretty solid roster right now.

Berry has seven picks at his disposal, the earliest being #44, and the Browns have two more selections in the top 100, the 78th pick and the 99th pick, both of those in the third round.

Cleveland could still use another wide receiver, even after dealing for Amari Cooper earlier this off-season, and probably get another tight end, to replace Austin Hooper, who was a salary cap casualty.

On the other side of the football, the defensive line needs bolstering, although the possibility still remains that Jadeveon Clowney could return to the team as a free agent.

Defensive tackle is a position of need, although it depends on whether the coaching staff thinks Jordan Elliott and Tommy Togiai can be starters next season. We would feel better if a high draft pick were to be used on this position.

But we would say there is no expectation any player drafted next weekend will be starters when Cleveland kicks off their season in September. Even if a wide out is picked at #44, no one will be concerned if the rookie starts the year as a third receiver.

That shows how talented this current roster is. And Berry has set up contracts so the Browns still have plenty of cap space despite the moves for Watson and Cooper, the presence of Myles Garrett, and even Denzel Ward’s new deal.

There are national writers who believe the Browns may have the most complete roster in the NFL, even though they finished 8-9 last season.

Think about it, they have arguably the best pass rusher in the game in Garrett. They may have the best running back in Nick Chubb. And they have a top cornerback in Ward.

They have perhaps the best guard tandem in the NFL in Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller.

And now, they have a top passer in Watson.

One area they still need to address is kicker. Chase McLaughlin was one of the worst field goal kickers in the league last year. When you lose six games by six points or less, that weakness is even more noticeable.

Also, they are in a division where the best in the league resides in Justin Tucker of the Ravens, and the Steelers and Bengals also have more than solid guys.

It’s something Berry needs to fix. The Browns have to know when they get inside the opponents’ 40-yard line, they are going to come away with points. It’s been awhile since that’s been the case. You have to go back to Phil Dawson.

We wouldn’t be shocked if a later round pick is used to bring one in.

It’s been a long time since Browns’ fans haven’t been obsessed about the NFL Draft. Not having a first round pick does that.

Cleveland will likely be observers on Thursday night, but the fun begins on Friday, when all fans become amateur GMs.

Browns Season At Crossroads?

What figured to be a promising season for the Cleveland Browns is now at a crossroads. They certainly are not out of the playoff race at 4-4, but any margin for error has gone out the window with Sunday’s 15-10 loss to the Steelers at First Energy Stadium.

The margin for error has grown very slim though. If you figure 11-6 is the record needed to make the post-season, then Kevin Stefanski’s guys have to go 7-2 the rest of the campaign, which includes two games with both the Ravens and Bengals, and contests against the Raiders, Packers, and a return date with the Steelers.

We still believe the talent on the roster means they have a chance to win any of the games they have remaining. Yes, three of their four losses have come by five points or less, but as Bill Parcells famously said, you are what your record says you are.

Former Plain Dealer sports editor Hal Lebovitz used to talk about “zero defects”, eliminating mistakes that can keep you from winning games against better teams. This team is not adhering to that motto. They have simply made too many errors, usually not egregious ones, that have kept them from winning games.

Last Sunday, it was dropped passes. Look, not all of any quarterback’s passes are going to be perfect, sometimes the receivers have to make plays. TE Austin Hooper dropped a pass on the game’s first drive. Maybe the Browns get a touchdown if he catches it. As it was, Cleveland settled for a field goal.

Then the usually reliable Jarvis Landry dropped two passes (one easy, one not so much) and fumbled after getting a first down in Pittsburgh territory (20 yard line) in the fourth quarter.

Opposing teams are loading the box because either Baker Mayfield doesn’t want to throw deep or the team doesn’t have anyone who can get open deep. Quite frankly, we think it is more of the latter.

We doubt it will happen today, but can we agree to start the countdown on the amount of time Odell Beckham Jr. has with the Browns? It simply hasn’t worked out, and we don’t know why. We do know Beckham hasn’t really been an elite wide receiver since 2017, so maybe expectations are simply too high.

He has flashes, but doesn’t seem to be able to play at a high level on the weekly basis.

And what remains true is Mayfield is a more efficient passer without Beckham on the field. Again, we aren’t sure how that works, but it is true.

This isn’t just on the offense either. We didn’t think it was possible to think an NFL team didn’t play well defensively in a game they allowed just 15 points, but the loss this past week made us think otherwise.

The defense has forced just five turnovers on the season, which ranks second to last in the league. They also seem to allow one very long drive (time wise) per game, and it seems it occurs after the Browns score. The offense seizes a little momentum, and the defense allows it to go to waste.

They seem passive as well. Ben Roethlisberger is basically a statue right now in terms of mobility, yet, there were very few blitzes to put pressure on and perhaps force a mistake. We understand Denzel Ward is out right now, but why not dial up some extra pressure from time to time.

And when you get a penalty to put the opponent in 1st and 20, it is best to not let a receiver be wide open down the middle for a first down on the next play.

We continue to say it, this football team has talent, lots of it. But they have to stop the silly pre-snap penalties, drop passes, etc. And one more thing, in the absence of the wide outs doing anything, why not let David Njoku loose?

Browns Could Use A Road Win

We had to laugh at Kevin Stefanski’s locker room comments following the Browns domination of the Chicago Bears last Sunday. The coach told his team “whoever we play” next is the biggest game of their lives, except he used more colorful language.

What was funny is that we are sure Stefanski knows exactly who they play this week, because it is a place he spent his entire coaching life before coming to Cleveland. The Minnesota Vikings.

We are sure the head coach will remind his squad they have not won on the road yet this season, and the Vikings are undefeated at home, although they’ve played in the Land of 10,000 Lakes just once this season.

And we know Stefanski doesn’t like to look ahead, but the following game against the Los Angeles Chargers, also on the road, appears to be a big game as well. The Chargers are now 2-1, coming off a victory over the Chiefs last Sunday.

We wondered in the off-season if Cleveland could have one of those offenses that could be unstoppable if they were healthy, and currently the Browns rank 7th in total yardage in the NFL, and 7th in yards per play at 6.4.

And that’s without both starting wide receivers, Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. in the lineup at the same time.

However, here’s a reminder that the Browns are still a running team, second in the league to Baltimore in gaining yards on the ground, with both Nick Chubb (3rd) and Kareem Hunt (20th) in the rushing leaders.

The Vikings have allowed the fifth most yards in the league to date, ranking better against the run (21st) than the pass (27th). So, it would figure to be another good day for the Browns’ offense, although the coach would probably remind us there is a reason why you actually play the game.

One thing is for sure, Kirk Cousins will be more difficult to defend that Justin Fields, making his first NFL start, so the Cleveland defense better be up for the challenge.

It is funny, but despite the production of the Browns’ offensive attack, the leader in receiving yards is Hunt with 104, followed by David Njoku (94), who wasn’t even targeted on Sunday.

The offense has really spread it around in the passing game, with six players having five or more receptions, led by Hunt and TE Austin Hooper with 10 each.

Hard for defenses to take away all of the weapons at Baker Mayfield’s disposal, right?

It was another week, another rookie to stand out for the brown and orange, this time LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who was all over the field against Chicago, getting four tackles and a half sack. That’s three weeks in a row, a newly drafted players has made a big impact on the game.

And how can we not mention Myles Garrett, who set a club record with 4.5 sacks, impressive no matter who is the opponent.

The former first overall pick is now 7th (revised total occurred over the summer) in sacks all time for the franchise with 48.5 in just 54 games. Next up on the list is Michael Dean Perry, who has 51.5…in 109 games.

It’s not a stretch to think Garrett will get into the Browns’ top five (Paul Wiggin has 60.5 in 146 games) this season.

Barring injury, it’s really a matter of time before Garrett surpasses Bill Glass, the franchise leader with 77.5 in 94 games.

Stefanski will tell you every week is a challenge in the NFL, and certainly, the Vikings are a step up in class from the Browns’ two previous opponents. We are sure he would also tell you his team is capable of playing much better. They will need to in order to get a win this week.

Don’t Be Disappointed In Browns’ Lack Of Activity

At times, we think fans of the Cleveland Browns are so used to losing, they don’t know how to react now that the organization has a sense of order to it.

We were reminded of it against this week when the legal tampering phase of NFL free agency started and GM Andrew Berry signed only two players: S John Johnson III, formerly of the Los Angeles Rams, and DE Takk McKinley, a former first round pick of the Atlanta Falcons, who forced his way out last season.

Johnson is a stud, just 25 years old, ranked among the top 20 free agents by several publications who rank these things. He has eight career interceptions and has two seasons where he had over 100 tackles. His defensive pass rating was 71.9 for the 2020 season.

Defensive coordinator Joe Woods likes to run a 4-2-5 alignment, and having three safeties in Ronnie Harrison, Johnson, and hopefully a healthy Grant Delpit will allow him to have the correct personnel to do it. Remember, the way to combat the Chiefs’ offense, and a Lamar Jackson offense, is with speed.

Berry continued his pattern of signing free agents coming off their rookie deal, meaning he is interested in getting players just entering their primes, which seems logical, but many teams chase the big names, getting players who may have one good year left. In Browns’ history, those would be guys like Donte Whitner or Karlos Dansby.

McKinley is a wild card, and we doubt the front office considers him the sole solution to getting help for Myles Garrett in getting to the quarterback. He did have at least 10 QB hits in his first three seasons with the Falcons, and added seven more in the four games he played in 2020.

Because Berry made a splash early in the process a year ago, inking Jack Conklin and Austin Hooper, the anticipation was he was going to do it again, and when the Browns didn’t get Carl Lawson, Romeo Okwara, Bud Dupree, or Trey Hendrickson, fans were questioning the organization.

First of all, we are sure that among the people who think the Browns need another pass rusher is Andrew Berry. We also know training camp doesn’t start until late July or early August, so he has plenty of time to upgrade the position.

Remember, Cleveland also has nine draft picks in next month’s NFL Draft (to be held right here in Cleveland). He could be working on a deal for a edge rusher, or he could wait to see who becomes available if and when other teams release players due to salary cap considerations.

Or he may go off script and do a one year deal for a player he thinks might have one good year left, especially if used on passing downs.

We understand Berry has really been a GM for one season, but under his watch the Browns did make their first playoff appearance since 2004 and won their first playoff game since 1994. So, while he apparently hasn’t earned the benefit of the doubt from everyone, he has from us.

We also trust ownership to spend money when the time is right, and with Baker Mayfield still under his rookie contract, that time might be now. We don’t think Cleveland will enter the 2021 campaign with a ton of cap space.

It’s sexy to make a big splash early in the free agency process, particularly in northeast Ohio, where the Indians don’t spend, and the city isn’t a destination point for NBA free agents since LeBron James no longer wears the wine and gold.

This front office will get it done. Don’t lose faith.

Trade For Browns? Think Defense First.

The NFL trade deadline doesn’t usually have the juice that the same date has in baseball, basketball, or even hockey, but in recent years there has been more and more activity.

With the loss of Odell Beckham Jr. for the season due to a knee injury, there has been much speculation the Cleveland Browns could be in the market for a replacement for one of their offensive playmakers.

However, would that be the best move GM Andrew Berry could be making?

You see, the Browns are the second highest scoring team in the AFC, behind only the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. Overall, they have scored the fifth most points in the NFL, topped only by the Buccaneers, Chiefs, Seahawks, and Cardinals.

Outside of the game in Dallas, Kevin Stefanski’s crew has done it without a huge contribution from Beckham, who scored three times that day.

The former Giant is second on the Browns in receptions, behind Jarvis Landry, and just one catch ahead of TE Austin Hooper. He’s also second in receiving yards.

We are not trying to insinuate the Browns won’t miss Beckham. None of the players Cleveland will use to replace him are close to him in terms of talent.

But the team is getting KhaDarel Hodge back from IR and we saw what Rashard Higgins and rookien Donovan Peoples-Jones did against Cincinnati. Higgins had over 100 receiving yards last Sunday, and we would remind you Beckham has just two in 22 games with Cleveland.

Our point is the Browns have plenty of weapons on offense, even without Beckham. Assuming Nick Chubb can return after the bye week (or shortly thereafter), Stefanski still has Chubb, Kareem Hunt, Landry, and Hooper. We would also envision a bigger role for David Njoku and rookie TE Harrison Bryant.

If Berry is going to make a deal, we would look at a defensive unit that has allowed the second highest point total in the NFL, ahead of only Dallas.

That puts a lot of pressure on the offensive to score 30 points virtually every week. In fact, the Browns are 5-0 when they score 30+, and 0-2 when they don’t.

Right now, the Browns have two very good players on that side of the ball. Let us correct that. They have one superstar on defense and a very good cornerback. We are obviously talking about Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward.

There shouldn’t be a debate that if Berry makes a deal, it should be with an eye on improving this area of the team.

Another pass rusher would be ideal, but right now, only Garrett is making his presence felt, and no doubt future opponents see the same thing. Being double teamed is one thing, but the former first overall pick might start seeing three men blocking him, because no one else is applying pressure.

Sheldon Richardson has 2.5 sacks, Adrian Clayborn has 2, and no other defensive lineman has one. In fact, the only linebacker on the board is B.J. Goodson, who has .5. The rest are from blitzing defensive backs.

We certainly aren’t saying to give up high draft picks, but in the past couple of days we’ve seen two pass rushers (Everson Griffen and Carlos Dunlap) go for lower round picks. So it can be done without a high cost.

Another receiver would be nice, sure. But the biggest area of need for the Browns is fixing the porous defense. It probably wouldn’t put Cleveland on par with the likes of the Chiefs, Steelers, or Ravens level, but it would take pressure off the offense to score every time they get the football.

And if you get to the playoffs? Why not win a game or two?

Njoku Wants Out, Browns Unlikely to Comply.

The news hit the other day that Browns’ TE and former first round draft pick David Njoku had hired a new agent and asked the team to trade him.

We expressed the opinion that just because the player made the request, the GM Andrew Berry is under no obligation to move Njoku, and we heard some comments very typical of most fan bases.

If he doesn’t want to be here, then move him as soon as possible. One former NFL player currently in the media expressed the opinion that the Browns can’t have that kind of distraction in the locker room.

We say the best thing to do is to step back and not make an emotional decision, which we feel is what Berry will do.

Cleveland just exercised the fifth year option on the tight end’s contract, meaning he is under his rookie deal for two more seasons. That’s probably the reason for hiring a new agent, and also requesting the deal.

More likely than not, Njoku and his new representative, super agent Drew Rosenhaus, want the same thing the Browns are doing with Myles Garrett, who also had his fifth year option picked up.

The Browns are working on an extension for Garrett, likely one that will make him one of the highest paid, if not the highest paid defensive player in the NFL.

The former Miami (FL) standout isn’t on the same par as Garrett, but it would seem as if Njoku would like to be paid sooner than later.

However, here is the problem. Njoku hardly played a year ago. He broke his wrist in the second game of the year against the Jets, and then, for whatever reason, feel into Freddie Kitchens’ doghouse.

The result was a season where he played in only four games, started just one of those, and caught only five passes for 41 yards, and one touchdown.

That pales in comparison to his first two years in the league, grabbing 32 passes as a rookie, getting into the end zone four times, and in his second year, he caught 56 throw and again scored four TD’s.

People have speculated that perhaps Njoku is upset by the free agent signing of Austin Hooper, a Pro Bowl TE for Atlanta. But Kevin Stefanski’s offense is based on a lot of two tight end sets, so there will still be plenty of playing time for Njoku.

Quite frankly, he will probably thrive in the offense if indeed he plays in Cleveland this season.

From the Browns’ standpoint, they used a first round pick on the player, and he is contractually here for two more seasons.

What do you think they would receive in return with Njoku coming off an injury plagued season, a year in which when he was healthy, his coaches basically ignored him?

They would get nothing near what the spent on him. We have seen speculation of a fourth or fifth round pick.

As for being a distraction in the locker room, our guess is Rosenhaus told him not to be one, because it doesn’t help his value either. We think Njoku will show up to camp, work hard, and make himself desirable to other teams.

However, if he does that, he will also be an asset to the Browns.

And we also think he will have a very good year if he improves his hands, and works within the Stefanski system. And if he does, the Browns will be willing to pay him.

Berry is going to do what is best for the Cleveland Browns, and we believe that means keeping Njoku. That is, unless he finds someone better.

Browns Dispel Myth They Aren’t Interested In Winning Now.

The Cleveland Browns’ front office erased any doubts that winning would not be a priority in 2020 with a trio of free agent signings on the first day.

With Paul DePodesta and Andrew Berry running things, there were people who felt they would be involved in accumulating assets for a run in 2021, rather than getting to the playoffs next season.

But signing a two starters in TE Austin Hooper and RT Jack Conklin, along with an experienced backup QB who can play if there is an injury in Case Keenum, signals a “go for it” mentality.

The first thought for many is tight end is not the primary need for the Browns, but a right tackle certainly is, and at some point they needed a quarterback.

Hooper and Conklin do continue this front office’s history of signing players coming off their first contracts. Hooper won’t turn 26 years old until November, and has increased his number of receptions, yardage, and touchdowns in every season (4 total years) of his career.

He made the Pro Bowl in each of the last two years.

When Baker Mayfield was at Oklahoma, one of his favorite targets in the red zone, was TE Mark Andrews, now with Baltimore. Andrews caught 22 touchdown throws in Mayfield’s three years with the Sooners.

So, a reliable tight end is important to this quarterback.

We also do not think this means David Njoku’s days are numbered in Cleveland. Remember, Kevin Stefanski used a lot of two tight end sets as offensive coordinator in Minnesota.

Conklin figures to start at right tackle and he will be 26 by the time the regular season starts. He has to be an upgrade over Chris Hubbard, who figures to be released soon.

And his contract is front loaded, meaning he will make less with the team has to reach new deals with both former overall first round picks in Myles Garrett and Baker Mayfield.

Both players are “plug and play” guys, and both are young enough to fit in with the young core of talent the Browns have put together the past five years.

Keenum just turned 32 years old, but is the insurance policy/mentor for Mayfield. He has started 62 games in the NFL, going 27-35 in those starts, and has opened the season as the starter his past three seasons in the NFL.

This approach differs from the past couple of off-seasons where John Dorsey signed players close to 30 on shorter deals. They didn’t go for the big ticket items.

Prior to Dorsey’s arrival, the Browns went for J.C. Tretter and Kevin Zeitler. You’d have to say that was a more successful approach.

The Browns still have holes at left tackle and on the defensive side of the football, most notably at linebacker and safety as well as depth on the line.

We may still see some lesser free agents to address the depth, and of course, there still is a little thing called the NFL Draft to fill some more of the holes.

Right now, we would guess Berry and his crew would look for the left tackle in the first round of the draft, with the rest of the selection process being devoted to the defensive side of the football.

It doesn’t matter if you win the off-season. But signing solid young players who should be able to start right away? Have to say it is difficult to complain about that.