Browns Appear Disinterested In Latest Debacle

Let’s start with the good stuff about the Browns lopsided 31-3 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Mainly because that will be quick.

The great Myles Garrett had 1.5 sacks to bring his season total to 21.5, one short of the all-time record for a single season, currently held by Michael Strahan and T. J. Watt. With the next two games at home, Garrett is set up to break the record in front of the home crowd, which frankly will be the highlight of this miserable season.

And Andre Szmyt kicked a 50-yard field goal in the cold, windy conditions. We know we wanted him to be cut after missing what would have been the game winning kick in the opener vs. Cincinnati, but he has been solid, making 18 for 21 overall and hitting four of five over 50 yards.

He’s looks like a keeper.

Now, for the rest of the mess.

The game started with a 52-yard kickoff return by Devin Duvernay. The special teams have reached comical status at this point. They are dreadful, but sure, Bubba Ventrone is a solid coach.

Apparently, QB Shedeur Sanders had the wrong wristband with the play sheet when the game started, which resulted in him being very confused by the plays being sent in. Probably because they weren’t on the sheet.

At halftime, the score was 14-0 in favor of the Bears and our thought at the time was it might have been the most uncompetitive 14-0 game ever. The Browns were never in this one.

After the Titans’ game (reminder Tennessee has won two games this season), many pundits wanted to give credit to coach Kevin Stefanski for the progress made by Sanders this season. And we agree he has made progress. He seems to be better in each game.

However, the loss to the Bears should remind everyone why the franchise should do a full cleaning of the front office and coaching staff (except for Jim Schwartz) after the season. This is a team devoid of so many things: talent, leadership, character, etc.

And that last comment should tell you that GM Andrew Berry has to go as well.

One other mark against Berry should be WR Jerry Jeudy, who did the seemingly impossible task of turning a touchdown into an interception when he let Sanders’ pass go through his hands, bounce off his chest and into the hands of DB Jaylon Jackson.

Sanders didn’t have a good day, completing 18 of 35 for 177 yards and had two other interceptions which were his fault. However, we would still like to see how he can play in a halfway decent offensive system.

We agree with Daryl Johnston, the analyst for the game that the QB has tunnel vision at times for fellow rookie Harold Fannin, who did catch seven passes for 48 yards. Our guess is he doesn’t have a lot of trust for anyone else out there.

That said, the two long passes to Isaiah Bond, one for 47 yards and the other for 42 yards, were beautiful throws.

And we are on record that if you can’t get newly named Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, who we think is the best QB in the draft, then draft an offensive lineman and a wide receiver with the two first round picks and run it back with Sanders next season.

We also thought it was funny the telecast talked about the Bears’ commitment to improve the offensive line last off-season. The Browns, of course, said we’re good.

It’s a disaster.

Three more games in this torturing season remain. Hopefully, Browns’ fans will get to see Garrett break a record.

Browns Issue Isn’t QB. It’s Everything Else On Offense (Pretty Much)

In the end, the Cleveland Browns showed their fans something in the 23-16 loss to Baltimore on Sunday that dropped the team’s record to 2-8 on the season.

That 2-8 coupled with last season’s 3-14 mark means Kevin Stefanski’s (and Andrew Berry too) team is now 5-22 over the last 27 games. No question that is not acceptable for any franchise.

But we digress. What Sunday’s game showed is even though the Browns have two first round picks in next April’s NFL Draft, they should stay away from their stated goal of getting their “franchise quarterback”.

They simply aren’t ready for that.

The Browns simply don’t have nearly enough on the offensive side of the football for any quarterback to succeed. The line is a sieve. The tackle position was already one of the worst in the NFL, and then both starters, Cam Robinson and the oft-injured Jack Conklin, went out, meaning KT Levenston and Teven Jenkins (bet you forgot he was on the team) wound up playing outside.

They are weak at the wide receiver position. Jerry Jeudy is okay, but he’s not a go to guy. Cedric Tillman has size, something in short supply with the Browns, and really who else?

They have two solid tight ends in veteran David Njoju and rookie Harold Fannin, but because the line is so poor, the former is being used primarily as a blocker, despite showing he can be a weapon in the passing game.

Fannin has been fine but needs to cut down on the number of drops.

Another rookie, Quinshon Judkins has been good, but there is no compliment to him really, and on the 4th and 6 play at the end of the game, he wasn’t on the field. Why? Who knows. He’s probably the best offensive player on the team, so why should he be on the field on the most important play of the game?

And now for the current QB situation. First, the offense really mustered up only six points, as the Browns had a defensive touchdown from Devin Bush and were set up on the 5-yard-line after a fumbled punt.

The passing attack was non-existent as the Browns had just 81 yards through the air. Dillon Gabriel was passable in the first half, completing seven of ten for 68 yards, but couldn’t put the ball in the end zone. And 26 of his yards came on one throw to Tillman, so his other six completions netted just 42 yards.

Gabriel left at halftime due to a possible concussion (maybe not RPOs with a smaller QB), so we got to see Shedeur Sanders’ NFL debut which was less than auspicious.

The fifth-round pick completed his first two throws, then went 2 for his next 14 and showed his bad habit of retreating in the pocket and taking huge losses when sacked.

Will he look any better with increased practice time? We may find out this week.

Defensively, what more can you say about Myles Garrett, who had four more sacks and appears headed to his second Defensive Player of the Year Award. We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: He’s the best defensive player in the history of the Browns.

And although Berry’s drafts should be criticized and scrutinized, he found a gem in LB Carson Schwesinger, who was all over the field, and gained his second interception. He’s probably the Defensive Rookie of the Year and should be considered for All-Pro honors.

Those two make these games worth watching, and Garrett’s chase for the season record for sacks will continue to make it compelling. He has 15 with seven games to play and the record is 22.5. He is simply incredible.

It’s on to Las Vegas. Can the Browns win? Sure, the Raiders aren’t very good. But the Browns haven’t won on the road since week two of last season. So, we might see a 0-0 tie.

Actually, that might be fun!

One Thing The Browns Can Hang Their Hat On? Finding Weird Ways To Lose

One thing the Cleveland Browns excel at is inventing new ways to lose football games. The most famous one was losing because Dwayne Rudd threw his helmet in celebration of what appeared to be a victory, which drew a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving Kansas City the 15 yards needed to kick a game winning field goal.

They’ve lost on a potential game winning field goal being blocked and returned for a touchdown.

Add Sunday’s game to the list. Yes, the Browns were behind 27-20 before a couple of boneheaded penalties took away any chance for them to come back and tie the woeful New York Jets, but we can’t forget the two special teams touchdowns for the Jets that were partially responsible for the home team’s lead.

Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees took over play calling for this game, and we did see more downfield throws from Dillon Gabriel, but with those longer throws came more sacks, as Gabriel took six sacks behind the Browns’ horrible pass protection.

The rookie from Oregon did complete 17 of 32 for 167 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, and did get Jerry Jeudy involved as he caught six throws for 78 yards. On the other hand, Jeudy was really the only wide out targeted, as after the dozen targets for Jeudy, Cedric Tillman was next with four.

On the other hand, there were several non-competitive throws and a couple of potentially terrible mistakes at the end of the first half when Gabriel threw behind Tillman and almost threw a pick in the red zone and then took a sack with no timeouts remaining.

The one good special teams’ play was getting the field goal unit on the field quickly and getting off a 45-yard kick by Andre Szmyt to tie the game at the half.

But watching the game, again our thoughts went to roster construction. Why isn’t there a decent veteran QB on the roster? The organization really has provided the coaching staff with no real alternative at the position.

Yes, we know eventually Shedeur Sanders will see the field, but why deal both Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett so there is no experienced NFL quarterback?

Let’s look at running back. Much like QB, the Browns drafted two players at this position, but the second one, Dylan Sampson, clearly isn’t big enough right now to play in the league. A stiff breeze can bring him down.

Jerome Ford is still here, but the real question is why? He doesn’t figure into the future and was supposedly on the trade block last week. So, why not look at Rocket Sanders, who was signed prior to the opening game and actually scored a touchdown in that game?

As for trying to improve the offensive line? According to reports, the Browns haven’t brought in a lineman for a tryout over the last four weeks. Nor have they signed one off another team’s practice squad.

The defense held the Jets to just 169 yards of total offense, but were gashed for two huge plays from Breece Hall, who caught a 42-yard touchdown pass on a screen, and also had a big 30-yard run, both in the fourth quarter.

You can’t blame that on a tired unit, the Jets only possessed the ball for 26 minutes during the game as Jim Schwartz’ defense forced five punts and an interception by Ronnie Hickman.

The special teams put the Browns into a huge hole. Giving up one kick return for a touchdown is bad enough, but two in one game? Three for the season, and there are still eight games left?

It has been said it’s tough for a special teams coach because the bottom of the roster, where most of their players come from, gets turned over a lot. That’s not the case with the Browns; their roster has been pretty stable.

The Ravens visit next week, and it reminds us they were in the same spot as the Browns three weeks ago at 1-5. But winning is first and foremost in that organization and they have turned it around and won three straight.

Here in Cleveland, everything revolves around finding a quarterback. That’s the wrong goal and until it changes, we get what we see every Sunday.

Browns’ Offense Is Simply Impotent

Another week, another horrific offensive performance from the Cleveland Browns.

A week after scoring 31 points (with the help of a defensive touchdown and a turnover which gave the offense the ball on the 3-yard line), the mediocre threshold of 17 points wasn’t met again Sunday in a 32-13 loss to the New England Patriots.

Keep in mind, the Browns drove down the field on their first possession, so after that first drive, they scored all of six points.

The terrible offense overshadowed a tremendous game from the best defensive player in the history of the franchise, Myles Garrett, who had five sacks on the day.

And for younger fans/readers, from 1946-1972, the Cleveland Browns were one of the NFL’s crown jewels. Go to Canton and visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There are plenty of Cleveland Browns enshrined there.

Actually, we would rather talk about that than the mess that is the Cleveland offense.

There is plenty of blame to go around. The popular thing is to blame rookie QB Dillon Gabriel, but the average NFL team gain 328 yards per game. The Browns haven’t reached that total in any contest in 2025, and both Joe Flacco and Gabriel have both played four contests

New England gained 422 yards on Sunday against a very good Cleveland defense. The last time a Browns’ offense did that was the Monday night game in Denver last season when they gained 552. Jameis Winston was the QB in that game.

We get all the reasons. The offensive line, particularly the tackles are simply terrible. The pocket gets collapsed all the time, and as a result, coach Kevin Stefanski calls a lot of very short throws, so his quarterback doesn’t get killed.

Running the ball would help, but since the Browns cannot throw the ball over 10 yards with any success, opposing defense simply stack the box, putting nine or ten defenders near the line of scrimmage.

So, perhaps the best weapon the team has, rookie RB Quinshon Judkins, is basically running with his feet tied together.

The wide receivers, at least the ones who are playing, can’t seem to get open. The Browns’ best wide out, Jerry Jeudy, was targeted just twice, catching neither. Isaiah Bond was targeted four times, also with no connections.

Bond seems to get a lot of playing time because the front office feels it stole him after the draft as an undrafted free agent. He has just 11 catches on the year, one more than Jamari Thrash. Bond has 30 targets this year. Thrash has 14.

Malachi Corley has had a couple of big plays this year, notably a 31-yard run on a reverse on Sunday, but he was on the field for just four plays on Sunday.

We also have to talk about Gabriel whose main ability to date has been taking care of the football, and Sunday, he didn’t do that, throwing two interceptions.

He doesn’t seem to have the arm strength to throw downfield, although again to be fair, there aren’t a lot of play calls for him to do that, probably because of protection issues.

We understand the game has changed, but we still like a quarterback who is taller, mostly plays from the pocket and has enough zip on his throws. It is tough for guys like Gabriel, Kyler Murray, and Bryce Young to play week to week in the NFL.

Have the latter two have some success? Yes, but they aren’t consistent and have issues staying on the field.

But the Browns have painted themselves into a corner where they don’t have a veteran option right now. Another mark against the front office.

It’s two weeks before a game with the Jets, who happen to have a worse record than the Browns. Something has to change, but we aren’t sure what the Browns can do.

We have advocated finding offensive linemen off other team’s practice squad, but there have been no moves like that the last two weeks. You have to question what Andrew Berry is looking at?

Another Week Browns Can’t Score More Than 17

It was a day where streaks were extended.

The Browns losing streak for this season extended to three with the 23-9 loss to the Steelers on Sunday. It also extended their regular season losing skein in the Steel City. It has now been 22 seasons since Tim Couch led the Browns to a 33-13 win over Pittsburgh as a road team.

And of course, and perhaps most notably, Kevin Stefanski’s crew extended their streak of scoring 17 points or less to 11 games. We would like to note that on Sunday, 16 teams in the NFL scored more than 17 points.

It’s the norm, not the exception.

We get the Browns’ offensive line, particularly the tackles, are terrible. The team has gone through six of them, actually made a couple of trades for the position, and it is still terrible.

On the other hand, we don’t believe there are offensive tackles on other team’s practice squads that would not be an upgrade. And frankly, we would try a new pair every week until you find someone competent.

Another curious question would be where does Teven Jenkins figure into this? The Browns signed him as a free agent last off-season, and he was a second-round pick of the Bears in 2021. He has started 38 games in the NFL, 14 of them at left tackle last season with Chicago.

We know the Browns view him as a guard option, but could he be worse than what the team has put out there?

Jerry Jeudy dropped at least two passes and picked up two personal foul penalties, but still was targeted 13 times, the most for any player on the Browns. Isaiah Bond, who the organization feels they “stole” as a free agent, caught two passes, but also was hit in the head by a Dillon Gabriel pass on the goal line.

Speaking of Gabriel, he threw 52 passes in the loss, completing 29 for a paltry 221 yards. We guess the good news is he didn’t turn it over, but he was sacked six times.

We heard the argument that the defense allowed 23 points, but nearing the end of the third quarter, they were on the field for most of the game to that point, and the last touchdown for the Steelers occurred just after the fourth quarter started.

Pittsburgh gained 335 yards and that is merely league average for NFL offenses, so we aren’t buying the argument they were gashed.

A better argument is that the organization is marginalizing a very good defense by pairing it with an atrocious offense.

Over the weekend, we thought about the Dallas game in Stefanski’s first season, a game in which the Browns led 41-14 heading into the fourth quarter. Cleveland’s first touchdown was a 37-yard pass to Odell Beckham Jr. The man who threw it was WR Jarvis Landry.

Beckham also scored on a 50-yard end around.

Where has that creativity gone?

In the fourth quarter, the Steelers ran a play where they faked an end around and Aaron Rodgers rolled out and found a receiver for a 20-yard gain. Where is that kind of creativity here?

The Browns’ offense isn’t very good, but it’s also very vanilla. No wonder fans are upset.

The next game is at home against the 1-5 Dolphins, a game they should be favored. We also don’t think the fans will be in a festive mood heading into the game, and rightly so.

This is a mess. No sugar coating that.

It’s Simple. Browns Have To Score More. The Defense Is That Good

We get it. Our reason for the Cleveland Browns starting veteran Joe Flacco at quarterback was to make sure people were lined up correctly and to limit the mistakes a rookie would presumably make.

Well, four games into the season, Flacco has thrown six interceptions and lost a fumble. His three turnovers on Sunday great aided the Detroit Lions in a 34-10 loss that dropped Kevin Stefanski’s squad to 1-3 on the season.

Whether or not a change is made at QB, there is pressure on the head coach to put some points on the scoreboard. Cleveland has now gone nine consecutive games without scoring more than 17 points. In today’s NFL, that’s pathetic.

Especially because the Browns have a Super Bowl defense. Lions’ offensive coordinator John Morton said Cleveland hadn’t seen a running attack like his, and in weeks two and three, Detroit ran for 177 and 224 yards. They got 109 vs. Jim Schwartz’ group and the longest run of the day for the home team was 24 yards.

Detroit got just 277 yards of total offense on the day. They won the game because they scored 24 points off of Cleveland turnovers and a punt return for a touchdown. They only had 16 first downs for the game, the same as the Browns.

But the offense is just putrid, and that’s where Stefanski is supposed to have expertise. However, we do think about the decision to not add any offensive linemen in last year’s draft. The unit is aging, but the only move the front office made was to bring in veteran journeyman Cornelius Lucas.

How’s that working out.

We don’t know how that gets fixed. The Browns did trade for veteran Cam Robinson, who has started 102 games in his eight-year career, presumably to start at left tackle. Or they can start a revolving door on the practice squad until you find someone who is an upgrade at the position.

Our fear is that the problem isn’t the quarterback and no matter who Stefanski puts behind center is going to have a problem because the tackles simply cannot block.

There was one bright spot on the offensive side of the ball, rookie running back Quinshon Judkins continues to impress, gaining 82 yards on 21 carries, and catching four passes for 33 more.

It doesn’t help the offense that receivers are dropping the football. Jerry Jeudy continues to struggle in that regard and rookie Harold Fannin has dropped some balls as well. When the QB gets time, the receivers aren’t helping.

Now on to the special teams, misnamed for the Browns. We are only four games into the season, but already the team has had a punt blocked and another returned for a touchdown.

We have heard veteran NFL observers say it is difficult for special teams’ coaches at times because of the bottom of the roster (which is what the special teams are made up of) changes a lot weekly. But that hasn’t been the case with the Browns. To date, the roster has been pretty stable.

Again, the emphasis coming into the year was to eliminate mistakes, and that hasn’t happened. If the Browns could play a clean game, we have no doubt they would be competitive, but it’s difficult to do.

Would switching to Dillon Gabriel help that? He’s a rookie, so the temptation is to say no. On the other hand, this offense simply has to score more points. It’s a shame because the defense continues to be that good.

Browns Start Today And Need To Improve From ’24

The Cleveland Browns are in an odd situation as they open their 2025 season today at home against the Cincinnati Bengals. Their roster is a mixed bag.

The fans that worship draft picks above everything else would like them to “strategically lose”, which we guess is the new term for tanking, in order to have two high draft picks to solve the franchise’s age-old quarterback problem.

However, this is not a team devoid of proven talent. The Browns have perhaps the NFL’s best defensive player in Myles Garrett and a Pro Bowl corner in Denzel Ward. The defense was the best in the NFL just two years ago, and even last season allowed 20 points or less five times.

Remember, the Browns were tied with Tennessee for the most turnovers in the league a year ago with 34, so the defense was put in a lot of bad spots making their numbers look worse than they actually were.

On offense, the Browns have a veteran offensive line that weirdly (we know why) changed their blocking scheme after years of success and decided this season that, you know, maybe we shouldn’t have changed what was working.

They also have a Pro Bowl wide receiver in Jerry Jeudy and a good tight end in David Njoku.

With all of the talent on the roster, and at this point, let us remind everyone that just two seasons ago, yes just two, this team was 11-6 and made the playoffs.

Because of the veterans and the talent they possess, the Browns really cannot tank. And that’s why the starting quarterback was always going to be Joe Flacco, despite folks in the media predicting Kenny Pickett.

An aside, media people root for stories, and we always think about asking them this when they opine–if your job was on the line, is that what you would do?

Flacco gives them a professional at the position. He will make sure his teammates are lined up properly and make good football decisions. He might turn it over from time to time, but it won’t be because he’s experiencing something he’s never seen before.

It’s also Flacco because despite all of the good feelings in the front office, GM Andrew Berry and coach Kevin Stefanski have to know going 3-14 again this year doesn’t bode well for job security. Jimmy Haslam can say whatever he wants, but we would bet on a new regime in place for 2026 with another disastrous season.

So, the Browns need to win or at least be competitive during the early part of the schedule which appears to be daunting. We would expect Stefanski will depend on what he knows best, a solid running game with a play action passing attack with the still strong armed Flacco in charge.

And he will also depend on the defense getting back its mojo with Garrett and two what look to be solid rookies in first round pick Mason Graham and second rounder Carson Schwesinger.

That unit looks like it could be among the best in the NFL again.

Here’s our best-case scenario for the 2025 Cleveland Browns. Between 6-8 victories and a 3-14 season by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Football fans would get a competitive team, and the draft lovers would get their high pick next spring.

Thoughts On Sanders And The Four QB Carousel

If it is August, fans in northeast Ohio are generally talking about who should be the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns in the first game of the season.

In last week’s first pre-season game, rookie Shedeur Sanders got the start and completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. It was a solid performance, but again we remind you although Carolina did play their starters in the first couple of series, Sanders got most of his work against backups.

On the other hand, he played with mostly reserves. Jerry Jeudy did not play and neither did the entire starting offensive line, including TE David Njoku.

Our comment on Sanders is simply this. He looked good and we want to see more. Hopefully, we will this weekend against the Eagles. But, he remains a solid NFL prospect and in no way shape or form should the Browns consider starting the rookie anytime before the halfway point of this upcoming season.

Unfortunately, he will likely not play this week due to an oblique injury. That doesn’t help his situation.

The Browns have tried to force rookies under center before they were ready before and how has that worked out? Remember, the only reason Baker Mayfield saw the field in the second game of the year in his rookie season was an injury to Tyrod Taylor.

Presumably, the Cleveland front office brought Joe Flacco in and traded for Kenny Pickett in order to start the season with a veteran at quarterback.

And that’s the correct and the smart move. We would assume if Pickett still cannot get on the field this weekend, then you have to figure Flacco will start against the Bengals on September 7th.

We advocated for that anyway, because he has the most gravitas in the locker room. There is no question the veteran leaders on the team, Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, Joel Bitonio, Njoku, will the 40-year-old signal caller gives them the best chance to win.

Dillon Gabriel also missed the first game with a hamstring issue, but seems ready to see the field this week, and if he can go, our guess is he will start.

And the Browns need to see what the other rookie can do as well. At the very least, they spent a third round draft choice on him and have to do their due diligence. You have to think there was a reason Cleveland picked him two rounds before they took Sanders.

The whole situation is exactly what the franchise signed up for when they drafted two rookie QBs in the last draft. That no one saw it was going to be difficult to get two rookies integrated in the offense and get a veteran ready to play when the regular season starts.

Perhaps that’s why Flacco was signed, because he has seen it all before and probably can be ready with minimal reps.

We still believe the Browns will find a way to keep all four quarterbacks on the regular season roster to start the year. They almost have too much invested in each one to make any other decision.

Unfortunately they didn’t have the foresight to see this coming last April.

Garrett Requests A Trade. Browns Need To Fix It

Only the Cleveland Browns could have a 3-14 season and have the off-season be worse than the actual season. But that’s where it seems we are after the franchise’s best player; Myles Garrett requested a trade.

We guess it is semantics, but Garrett asked to be moved, he didn’t demand it. People who know this stuff better than us feel it would be another huge hit on the salary cap to trade the All-Pro defensive end, which may preclude making the move.

Garrett has two years left on his current contract, so if push comes to shove, the Browns could play hard ball and refuse to trade him, making Garrett decide whether or not he is going to sit out a season.

It would also be stupid for it to come to that.

Our advice to the Browns’ front office? Put together your collaborative process (sarcasm intended) and fix this. And the sooner, the better.

We would even go as far as to say this. In his public statement requesting a deal, the former first overall pick gave a little tweak to GM Andrew Berry using the latter’s “Cleveland to Canton” comment. If Garrett’s issue is with Berry, it’s an easy solution for us, hire a new general manager.

Berry is easily more replaceable than the best defensive player the franchise has had over the last 65 years.

We understand that Garrett’s request got all of the football fans in northeast Ohio who crave and worship draft picks all excited. That’s what they love. But the reality is anyone you draft with one of the picks you get will not be as good as Myles Garrett.

And that’s not a slap at the front office either. Garrett has already won the Defensive Player of the Year last season and is up for the award this season. He’s arguably the best defensive player in the NFL.

The Browns could get 20 first round picks in return and not get anyone as good as Myles Garrett.

As for Garrett’s desire to play important games, let’s be honest about this, how many games would the Browns have won in 2024 with competent quarterback play? They certainly wouldn’t have been 3-14. Cleveland started 10 contests with Deshaun Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and Bailey Zappe behind center.

They were 2-5 with Jameis Winston, so is it out of the realm of possibility to think they could have gone 6-11 with Winston starting the whole season? If you agree, then that makes to trip back to the playoffs in 2025 shorter.

We understand Browns’ fans and media alike love to play the “woe is us” card. But there is talent on this roster. Denzel Ward and Jerry Jeudy made the Pro Bowl (such that it is), and the offensive line needs some tweaks, but there are solid players there.

David Njoku is a good player too, and Mike Hall and Isaiah McGuire look like they have talent. And don’t forget, the Browns have a first-round pick for the first time in four years and four picks in the top 100 of this year’s draft.

And going back to the offense Kevin Stefanski likes to run should cause an improvement as well.

There is a long time between now and the beginning of training camp, so the front office is on the clock. Fix this issue with Myles Garrett. End of discussion.

Another Loss Brings More Puzzling Questions For Browns

It was another mind-numbing, head scratching performance by the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, capping their home schedule with a 20-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

If you thought it couldn’t get worse from the early season offensive struggles with Deshaun Watson at the helm, the Browns have now scored in single digits the last three contests, the last two with overmatched Dorian Thompson-Robinson calling signals.

At least Watson would put up at least 10 points per game. His low was the 13 scored against Washington in week five.

Offensively, Cleveland had a decent day running the football, gaining 114 yards (their 4th best of the season) on 28 attempts. And although we understand the Browns were trailing most of the second half, they still decided to have their inexperienced, ineffective QB put the ball in the air 47 times.

Thompson-Robinson completed 24 of those throws for 170 yards, and had an interception, the 10th of his career vs. just one touchdown pass.

The Browns said they wanted to take a look at the second year QB when he has time to prepare for games, and if true, they can’t like what they’ve seen. Jameis Winston has a reputation for throwing interceptions, and his career percentage is 3.5%.

DTR in his 14 games, including five starts, has a percentage of 4.4%. Add that to a career completion percentage of 52.4% and you can see he’s not ready to be a starter in the league, and really, you have to question whether or not he should be on a roster.

Which leads to another question. Why did the Browns cut Tyler Huntley in order to keep Thompson-Robinson? It leads us to believe there is an agenda, in that case being the GM drafted one and signed the other as a free agent.

We understand general managers have a fondness for players they drafted, but good organizations (note, we said good) make evaluations based on how people play, not where or by whom they were drafted by.

Is Huntley a better quarterback? He’s played 24 games in the NFL with 13 starts and has completed 65% of his throws with 10 TDs and 8 interceptions (1.8%). Yeah, he’s better without a doubt.

Which leads us to this question. Should Andrew Berry be making the draft picks this upcoming spring? It’s hard to make a case for him.

Yes, he’s been without a first-round choice for the last three seasons. However, he’s only selected one player who has made a Pro Bowl, LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. The first round picks he did make; T Jedrick Wills and CB Greg Newsome aren’t cornerstones of the team.

He’s made some good trades, like the ones for Amari Cooper and Jerry Jeudy, but he also dealt a second-round pick for Elijah Moore, whose roster spot is tenuous at best.

Does anyone trust Berry to change the landscape of the Browns in this draft where they likely will have a top five pick? It’s difficult to make that argument.

The Browns’ front office makes too many errors trying to justify bad decisions which is a twofold problem. The best thing to do if you mess up is to admit it, move on and get better.

There was another report this week about Watson competing for the QB job in training camp. If it is not true, then the powers that be should say nothing about him, so apparently someone is putting that out there.

Why? The guy doesn’t want to play in Cleveland.

By next Saturday night, this nightmare season for the Browns will be over. We still think Kevin Stefanski should be the coach next year, but someone needs to be held accountable for Watson and the offensive coaching staff firings.

Running it back with the same group shouldn’t be an option.