If Watson Is Out For A While, Browns Can’t Sit Idle

As the Deshaun Watson saga continues, the thing that keeps creeping into our minds is what happens if the NFL decides on a full year suspension for the recently acquired quarterback.

Or really, any suspension longer than eight games, a little more than half of the season.

If Watson would be out of action for a span of more than 50% of the league’s schedule, it would seem GM Andrew Berry would be back in the market for a QB. There is too much at stake for this franchise to have to play Jacoby Brissett for a majority of the schedule.

This isn’t a knock on Brissett, who is a very good back up signal caller, and perfectly capable of guiding the Browns to some wins in a limited time span. However, we don’t think anyone believes he’s a guy who can lead a team to the playoffs.

And why is it important for the Browns to be able to be in the playoff mix this season? Simple, look at the roster and the number of great players in the prime of their career. Nick Chubb is 27, Myles Garrett is 27, Denzel Ward is 25, Amari Cooper is 28.

Add another year to all of those guys if the 2022 season comes and goes without a long playoff run.

Three of the oldest players on the squad are offensive linemen in Joel Bitonio (31), Jack Conklin (28) and Wyatt Teller (28). We saw first hand what happened last year when Conklin went out after the Chargers game.

There is no question this is one of the strongest units on the roster. Will they still be able to play up to the 2020 standards in ’23? Maybe, but the wear and tear takes its toll at some point.

The Browns were the fourth youngest team in the NFL a year ago at 25.61 years of age by average. Let’s just say Cleveland would be at 26.61 this year. They’d be the seventh oldest relating to the ranking for the 2021 season.

Now, we know that won’t be the case because rookies will make the team and some veterans on the end of the roster will be replaced by younger players. But it does show how closely bunched the age of the men on an NFL roster is.

You can be a young team one season and a grizzled veteran team in a span of two years.

And that’s why if Watson is ruled out for most, if not all of the 2022 season, the front office has to find a better option than Brissett. And no, it won’t be Baker Mayfield, the Browns have napalmed that relationship, although we understand why to national people it would make the most sense.

We have suggested before, could Mayfield be traded for another QB? A proven one? Outside of Jimmy Garoppolo, there probably isn’t one out available, but could the Browns be interested in bringing in the veteran for one season?

You would think they most definitely would.

No doubt Berry is already doing some groundwork in the event the ruling is a one year suspension for Watson. With a talent laden roster, wasting a year isn’t an option for the Cleveland Browns.

The Watson Situation Just Looks Worse and Worse

Every news item coming out about new Browns’ quarterback Deshaun Watson really isn’t helping the image of the organization, is it?

Two more civil suits and a story by Jenny Vrentas in the New York Times just in the past few days put Watson in an even more troublesome (if that’s possible) light.

As for the folks in Berea? They are the people who put their necks out for the former Houston QB, and now they look clueless, the last thing the Haslam ownership and organization needed.

We would hope the Browns are not surprised by any of this, that they did their due diligence and knew this stuff was out there, even if it had yet to be reported. But a wise man once said perception is reality, and the front office looks as bad as they did when Cleveland went 1-31 over a two year period.

We think anyone with half of a brain knew Watson was going to be suspended at some point by the league, and lack of an indictment doesn’t mean anything to the NFL. They have suspended other players who weren’t legally charged with a crime.

But the popular opinion was it would be around six games. Now, that would seem to be awfully light. At best, Watson is guilty of some pretty poor judgment, which we would think no one would want out of their starting quarterback.

GM Andrew Berry brought in Jacoby Brissett to start during a probable Watson suspension, but what if he is sidelined for the entire season? Are the Browns ready to go an entire season with Brissett at the helm? Anything is possible, but in the very difficult AFC, it would seem Cleveland isn’t a playoff contender in that scenario.

Many people have suggested the franchise should mend fences with Baker Mayfield if that’s the case, but the relationship between and team and Mayfield has been napalmed, so it’s probably not even a remote scenario.

However, would other teams be interested in trading for Mayfield if the Browns would take back a quarterback also under a big contract?

We are just speculating, but if San Francisco really wants to go with Trey Lance at QB, but want to have a solid back up in case he struggles or gets injured. Would they be interested in a deal involving Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo? Or could Sam Darnold be a better option for the Browns than Brissett over an entire season?

Those might be better alternatives for a team (and a coach) that needs to get to the playoffs in 2022. And Brissett is still around as a fallback in case of an injury.

It puts the Browns in a better position for this season while not having to deal with bringing Mayfield back, an option the team has already dismissed.

By the way, anyone who paints Mayfield as childish for not showing up to the mandatory mini-camp is out of touch. The Browns don’t want him there. It has nothing to do with the former first overall pick.

You would have to think the front office has to be studying scenarios as to what would happen if Watson is ruled out for the entire season. Again, that’s due diligence.

However, it’s what they signed up for. They have no one to blame but themselves.

An Issue With Watson? Other Cities Have Gotten Over Things

Since Deshaun Watson was acquired by the Browns, the fan base has been torn. Supporters of the team would like him to be exonerated from all of civil suits filed against him, which might not happen for around 18 months.

Others point to the lack of criminal charge by a grand jury as proof of Watson’s innocence. Remember, that legal proceedings are a “game” in itself, and sometimes it’s just a matter of the prosecution failing to make a solid case from the evidence the police brought forward.

Some will feel “dirty” even if all of the civil cases went the quarterback’s way, because at the very least the former Texan QB was guilty of bad judgment.

Others have talked themselves into believing Watson won’t be suspended if he wins all of these civil cases. (In our opinion, he’s going to be sidelined at some point by the league office).

But if the Browns start winning, becoming a perennial playoff team, and perhaps even making or winning a Super Bowl, all of this will fade into the background.

That’s the nature of sports and fandom.

Barry Bonds is one of the more polarizing players baseball has even seen. It would be difficult to find a supporter of the slugger anywhere except San Francisco.

Bonds was never a warm and fuzzy figure among fans and reportedly among his teammates as well. However, if you talk to Giants’ fans and say he’s a disgrace to the sport, be ready for a fight. Most people out in the Bay Area love him, and regard him as the sports’ all-time home run leader, while people who aren’t Giants’ supporters believe Hank Aaron is the true king of the long ball and wish Bonds would just go away.

The same is true of Baltimore Ravens’ fans and Ray Lewis. Lewis is revered for the most part in Baltimore, and there is a statue of him in front of M & T Bank Stadium where the Ravens play their home games.

Here, and we would assume other AFC North cities think the incident Lewis was involved in Atlanta in 2000 after a Super Bowl party make his less than an ideal candidate for a statue. But he went on to work for ESPN as an analyst and has served as a pitch man for several products.

By and large, Lewis’ reputation is Baltimore is as a great player and great leader. He’s a huge part of their two Super Bowl titles, and he’s been honored for his involvement in the community.

So, while many fans feel uncomfortable with the Browns getting Watson and giving him a boatload of cash to wear the brown and orange. If Cleveland wins with him as the quarterback, fans will figure out a way to live with his past.

Sure, there will be those who can’t get past it, and may even stop rooting for the Browns, and if they continue with that position if Cleveland gets to its first Super Bowl with Watson under center, they are stronger than most.

For most sports fans, they will look the other way on Deshaun Watson’s past if the Browns are successful. Cleveland won’t be any different than other cities.

Browns’ Schedule Game? Not Interested.

Tonight, the NFL will announce their 2022 season schedule, and it is a reflection of the giant place the league has in the sports’ consciousness that there is a prime time show based around telling fans who will play who and when on a weekly basis.

Another reason the NFL is the king.

Of course, the “unveiling” if you will, affects sports talk radio programming for Friday, because virtually every show will have a version the “schedule game”, in which everyone looks at the slate of games to determine what their favorite team’s record is.

Quite frankly, we would rather listen to recordings of William Shatner singing.

A bonus in Cleveland is it one less day spent discussing what the Browns will do with Baker Mayfield and/or how many games Deshaun Watson will be suspended. Although, if the Browns get several nationally televised games late in the year, people will take that as an indication that Watson’s suspension (if there is one in 2022) will be finished by then.

First of all, no one playing the game has any clue about injuries, when they will happen, and which players will be affected on any given week. Wouldn’t any Cleveland fan call the game against say, Buffalo as a loss, but if Josh Allen were to be out that week, it would certainly change the prediction for that contest.

Another thing not factored in is how the either team is playing. Let’s say you have a game early in the year against a team that struggled the prior year, but started out winning its first two or three games. That team is now playing with confidence and it becomes a more difficult task.

And add in if say the Browns lost the week prior. Teams that loses sometimes take a while to get going the following game. Remember how the Browns struggled in their week two game against the Texans a year ago after they lost the opener to the Chiefs? It took Kevin Stefanski’s crew about a half to start playing as expected.

We know that every year a team comes out of nowhere to make the NFL’s post-season. Last year it occurred in Cleveland’s own division, where Cincinnati went from 4-11-1 in 2020 to 10-7, a division title, and a Super Bowl berth in ’21.

Conversely, Seattle went from 12-4 to 7-10 from 2020 to 2021. Heck, the Browns themselves went from 11-5 to 8-9. Wonder what the schedule game people though about games against this trio of teams heading into last season?

We get that the schedule is fun to talk about and it fills a day of programming for the hosts who play a yearly game of the event, but let’s face it, there won’t be any surprises tonight. The Browns will play the same opponents it was announced they would face at the conclusion of the ’21 season.

The NFL schedule is formulaic, we can already tell you Cleveland will play the teams from the NFC West in 2023.

So, count us out on trying to analyze a group of games that won’t be played for at least four months. We can tell you this though. Roger Goodell thanks you for playing the “Schedule Game”.

Browns’ Draft? Not Excited, But Not Bad

We think everyone can agree that a draft without a first round pick cannot be considered sexy. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be impactful.

The Cleveland Browns traded its first round pick (and those for 2023 and 2024) for QB Deshaun Watson, and then traded down from the 44th pick, and the people who love the NFL Draft around town went crazy.

We still believe there is a portion of the fan base around the city who assume everything the Browns do is stupid and everything the Ravens and Steelers do is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Cleveland has a pretty solid roster and the likelihood that someone picked over the weekend would be projected to have a starting spot on the 2022 team was slim to begin with.

So, how did GM Andrew Berry and the local gridiron team do in the draft?

Their first pick was CB Martin Emerson of Mississippi State at pick #68. While cornerback was not a position of need for the Browns, in our view, you can never have enough good corners, and we know it will remain to be seen if Emerson is just that.

The scouting report on Emerson is that he is better in man-to-man coverage than zone, and it feels like the Browns don’t play enough of that style of defense. Maybe they will start, although that probably goes hand in hand with stopping the running game better.

The draftniks seems to like the next choice, 6’7″, 270 pound Alex Wright out of UAB. He will probably be a pass rusher in Cleveland. The problem for him according to scouts is inconsistency. Like cornerbacks, we feel you can never have enough guys to go after the opposing team’s passer.

We really like the pick of David Bell in the third round. We’ve seen a few Purdue games and he stood out. Does this translate to success in the NFL? That remains to be seen, but he played against big time competition and succeeded. And he’s a big target at 6’2″, 210 pounds. He seems like a slot receiver, which the Browns need.

Everyone loves the choice of Perrion Winfrey because the draft “experts” had him ranked as a second round pick, and the Browns got him in the fourth round. The scouting reports say he has great athleticism for a man his size (6’4″, 292 pounds). Earlier, we said the Browns needed help stopping the run. Hopefully, Winfrey can help there and put pressure up the middle on opposing QBs.

We can’t end this without looking at the most controversial choice, drafting K Cade York from LSU at #124. We saw one expert say this was not an area of need for the Browns, to which we would ask if he watches the games.

We have no problem with this pick. Chase McLaughlin was one of the worst field goal kickers in the NFL last season, and Cleveland lost six games by six points or less.

Does picking York this high make him a surefire success in the pros? Of course not, but he winds up being as good as Phil Dawson, it’s a great pick.

Think about this, if all of the current players were put into a draft today, where would the Ravens’ kicker, Justin Tucker go? He might go in the first round, he’s that much of a weapon.

Time will tell if any of the players drafted by the Browns this past weekend can contribute. Many will be special teamers at least for the first year.

It was a depth draft for Cleveland. Hard to get too excited.

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.

Watson Is Very Good, But It Doesn’t Make It Easier To Take

It was a bold move, a controversial move made by the Cleveland Browns a few days ago. The front office, including the Haslam family ownership, felt the team was a quarterback away from championship contention.

So, they went out and traded a boatload of draft capital for a QB who didn’t even play last season in Houston’s Deshaun Watson. The price was three first round picks and a third and four round selections over the next three years.

Watson’s on-field talent is undeniable. Last year, when trying to determine exactly where Baker Mayfield ranked among the league’s signal callers, we said the former Texan quarterback was one of the top five at the position in the NFL, along with Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers.

The last year he played, 2020, we know the Texans went 4-12, but it wasn’t the quarterback’s fault. The former Clemson standout completed 70.2% of his passes for a league leading 4823 yards, 33 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions. And he led the NFL in average yards per pass attempt.

They gave up 29 points per contest. That’s why they went 4-12.

He also ran for 444 yards. He’s a true dual threat at QB.

However, there is another side to the story. Although Watson was not charged by a Grand Jury, he does face civil suits from 22 women alleging sexual misconduct. It’s like the Browns sold their soul to the devil in order to cure their QB issues.

There are fans in Cleveland who somehow feel the Cavaliers title in 2016, the ONLY championship by a professional sports team in northeast Ohio since 1964, is somehow tainted because LeBron James returned home via free agency and the Cavs put together a “super team”.

First, it is the job of any professional sports franchise to put the best team they can on the field and if they can do so within the rules, it’s legitimate. And no one on that team had any issues legally.

We were not in favor of trading for Watson, feeling it would be a tough sell for any team, not just the Cleveland Browns. Especially for women fans of the Browns. Still, it should appall everyone. It wasn’t one or two females making these claims, it was 22. We doubt it was a smear campaign against the Texans’ QB.

But when it happened, we did feel excitement that GM Andrew Berry pulled off acquiring one of football’s premier passers.

Who knows, Watson may never have another instance in this regard, and while it won’t be forgotten, winning has a way of making people overlook things.

What feels a little grimy is Watson’s contract was structured to prevent a large hit monetarily from a probable suspension, which would figure to be between six and eight games.

And the Browns also had to give him the largest guaranteed money in the history of the league to get him to waive a no trade clause to come to Cleveland.

We said any team dealing for Watson would need a solid backup because he will likely miss games in 2022, and Berry did that by signing Jacoby Brissett, who has 37 starts in his career, including five this year with Miami.

His best year was with the Colts in ’19, going 7-8 as a starter, throwing 18 TDs against six picks, completing 61% of his passes.

When Watson takes the field as a Cleveland Brown, there will be a mixed feeling. While we will root for the Browns, it will be tough to support the quarterback. That’s a shame.

Other teams, notably the Raiders (no matter where they play) have had an outlaw image, and it has been supported by their fans. Cleveland is different. We aren’t used to playing that role, the closest was with Albert Belle in the mid-1990’s.

But Belle was drafted here, the Indians didn’t trade for him.

It’s a conundrum to be sure. Watson’s actions were reprehensible. They weren’t made less appalling because he wears a Cleveland uniform.

Browns Don’t Take Part In QB Carousel. Oh, The Humanity!

It was a very difficult day for the irrational Browns’ fan on Tuesday when Aaron Rodgers agreed to stay in Green Bay, and Russell Wilson was traded by Seattle to Denver for a king’s ransom.

Didn’t those guys feel obligated to play in Cleveland?

After seeing the reaction of these zealots, one would think the Browns’ front office should contact Roger Goodell’s office and asked to be removed from the 2022 NFL schedule because they have no chance.

The reality of the situation is Paul DePodesta, Andrew Berry, and Kevin Stefanski don’t think that way. It’s why they have jobs in an NFL organization and the rest of us are fans.

We commented on social media about the price the Broncos paid for Wilson, who will be 33 next season. The Browns first and second round draft picks in 2020 and 2021 were starting tackle Jedrick Wills, safety Grant Delpit, starting corner Greg Newsome and starting linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

Would you trade all four for Wilson? And remember, Denver threw in more than that.

We understand quarterback play is important in the NFL, and the performance of Baker Mayfield last season simply doesn’t get it done. However, if your front office is good at drafting players, and Berry seems to be, is giving up four prime draft picks a good idea?

If your team is bad at picking players, then go ahead and trade the picks. That’s understandable. The draft is a good way to pick up good players cheaply. And if you continue to draft well, your forays in the free agent market, where you overpay for players, can and will be minimal.

And from what we can see, Berry and DePodesta value the draft.

We also know that the two best QBs in the league right now, Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes have combined for two Super Bowl victories. Wilson has a ring as well, that coming in 2013, eight years ago.

Reality tells us more teams have questions at the position than do not, and the people who run those organizations can’t just throw in the towel, they try to win with what they have.

Come on, how many truly great quarterbacks are there in the NFL right now? Rodgers, Mahomes, Wilson, Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford? It was reported that the Browns didn’t think Jimmy Garoppolo was much of an upgrade over Mayfield, and they are probably right.

The same can be said of Derek Carr, Ryan Tannehill, and a few others.

We often wonder what the thinking around town would be if Mayfield would have been ruled out for the season after injuring his shoulder in week two. Browns’ fans and media would be skipping around town with thoughts of a healthy Mayfield behind center in 2022.

However, he played, he didn’t play well, and the organization has to wear that.

Don’t forget, the free agency period hasn’t started yet, and the draft will not take place until the end of April. Our guess is Berry isn’t going to let the team get worse. They will upgrade the areas of weakness, with particular attention to the defensive line and wide receiver.

And they will probably bring in another quarterback, perhaps in a trade to replace Baker Mayfield before the season.

The majority of teams in the NFL are in the same boat as the Cleveland Browns. As we’ve said before, getting an elite QB isn’t easy.

The Landry Situation Is Normal In A Salary Cap Sport

You would think making the playoffs in 2020 would have cured the insanity that affects some fans of the Cleveland Browns, but we guess until they win a Super Bowl, the crazy thinking by many will continue.

On Tuesday, WR Jarvis Landry put out a series of tweets explaining that he was never fully healthy after his knee injury in week two, he cut back his media availability because of it, and said his contract situation was now in the Browns’ court.

Immediately, the critics were out. The locker room has a huge problem, the front office doesn’t know it has a problem, and the ability of GM Andrew Berry and coach Kevin Stefanski was called into question.

Look, we understand that Landry is very popular among the fans and the media, he’s always been a stand up guy. His speech on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” about the attitude his teammates needed to play with was epic and helped change the loser mentality that permeated the franchise.

We are sure the organization would love to have Landry back with the team in 2022.

However, there is a glitch with doing this.

Landry’s contract would be a cap hit of $16.4 million next season. He’s also 29 years old and coming off an injury plagued season, in which he put up the worst numbers of his career.

The front office would probably love to rework the wide receiver’s deal to either pay him less next year, or perhaps to extend his current deal and spread the money out (or maybe even add more) over more seasons.

Landry knows there is likely no other NFL team that is going to pay him that kind of money at his age and coming off the 2021, so while he says the ball is in the Browns’ court, it really is in the wide receiver’s.

He’s the one that has to make the decision to stay and take a pay cut or go somewhere else for less cash.

And we get that he may not want to stay in Cleveland for less money. Why would you stay in the same place and get paid less? It could be an awkward situation. If the Browns were a Super Bowl favorite, we understand it might make getting less money palatable.

Although we think Kevin Stefanski’s squad can make the post-season in 2022, calling them a Super Bowl threat would be a stretch.

It’s a not a matter of the organization being unhappy with Landry or not being grateful about his role is changing the losing attitude within the team. It’s simply the reality of running a team in a salary cap sport.

If Berry wants to improve the current roster, he simply cannot have the highest paid players on the team not performing at a high level. And before you quote Baker Mayfield’s salary for 2022, it’s different for quarterbacks. Not saying it’s fair, but it’s different.

And there will be other tough decisions to be made as well. Case Keenum probably will not be back, and there is a very good possibility J.C. Tretter won’t return to give the Browns more salary room to work with.

It does not mean the front office doesn’t know what they are doing. In fact, it’s just the opposite. They are doing the right thing.

However, the ball isn’t in the Browns’ court, it’s Jarvis Landry who has to make the big decision.

Football 2021 Is Over, Browns Look Towards ’22

The Super Bowl is over and thankfully, a team from the AFC North did not win. Although the new league year doesn’t arrive until March 16th, the off-season has arrived and everyone should be turning their attention to the 2022 season.

First, the Cleveland Browns are not a terrible football team, in the same class as Jacksonville, Houston, etc. They didn’t go 4-13 or 5-12 during the 2021 season, they went 8-9, and with a little luck, they would have made the playoffs.

Still, having good luck isn’t a strategy any more than hope is. And there is no doubt you are what you record says you are, and the Browns were a below .500 football team.

The first challenge Andrew Berry, Paul DePodesta, and Kevin Stefanski have to do is get the roster united and cohesive. There was a little bit too much happiness for Odell Beckham Jr. being a Super Bowl champion among the current players.

On the other hand, there is a difference between being a good friend and a good guy and being someone the coaching staff can trust. Being cool among players is one thing, but for coaches and front office types, a player can be a different story.

Perhaps Beckham challenged Stefanski’s authority or complained every week about the style of football the coaches wanted to play. Maybe that’s why the wide receiver wasn’t “a good fit” here.

We aren’t going to rehash the quarterback situation again, but we will say this–the passing game as a whole has to be better. The wide receiver and tight end positions need to be addressed and improved. They need more separation, or in old school terminology, the Browns need receivers who can get open.

We would also like to see Stefanski use Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt together. They are two of the best players the team has, and using just one at a time seems foolish. Make opposing defenses account for both, and that brings us to another question.

Why not get Chubb more involved in the passing game? We understand it is a good way to keep the Pro Bowl back fresh, taking him off the field in passing situations, but the defense knows this as well.

And having Chubb catch a short pass in the secondary where he doesn’t have to contend with defensive linemen should be a benefit, no? It doesn’t seem like he has bad hands, so why not incorporate this into the offense?

These playoffs should also show the front office the importance of having a reliable field goal kicker.

In the AFC North alone resides the most accurate kicker in the Ravens’ Justin Tucker (94.6%) and the 10th ranked, Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell (90%). Cincinnati’s rookie Evan McPherson didn’t miss a field goal in the playoffs, making two game winners.

Chase McLaughlin? He ranked 32nd in the league at 71.4%. Having a reliable field goal kicker changes how you coach and manage the game.

It doesn’t matter if it is through the draft or a free agent, the Browns have to get a more reliable field goal kicker, someone they feel comfortable with from 50 yards and in. They’ve been without one since Phil Dawson left.

When you are 8-9 and the division winner finished at 10-7, you better believe the little things, including having a solid kicker, make a big difference.