Cleveland
Browns
2018 Record: (7-8-1) 3rd AFC North
2018 Season Recap:
Offense
Points: 22.4 (20th)
Yards: 368.8 (13th)
Pass Yards: 250.4 (14th)
Rush Yards: 118.3 (14th)
Defense
Points: 24.5 (21st)
Yards: 393.0 (30th)
Pass Yards: 257.8 (25th)
Rush Yards: 135.2 (28th)
Understanding that a new direction for this club was
desperately needed, general manager John Dorsey used the first overall
selection to draft potential star Baker Mayfield, and corralled his abundance
of 2018 draft capital to continue to fill out the roster.
The Browns hedged their bets before the draft in
trading for former Buffalo Bills starting pivot Tyrod Taylor. This gave the
impression that if Baker wasn’t ready to suit up from day one, Tyrod could hold
down the fort. Not only did the Browns have a multitude of picks at their
disposal, they spared no expense in making big trades and free agent
acquisitions to help transform the losing ways over the previous two seasons.
With Tyrod announced the starter ahead of Mayfield,
the Browns managed to tie the Steelers followed up with a loss to the Saints in
weeks one & two. Questions already arose from fans and media circles after
just two weeks of play, wondering when the Baker show would be put on display.
Not having to wait much longer than week 3, Baker Mayfield came into the
contest against the Jets in relief of Taylor who was lost to an injury. From
that point on, Baker wouldn’t give back the starting role and his tenue as the
starting quarterback in Cleveland was underway.
As Baker lifted the Browns offense right from jump,
the wins still didn’t materialize under coach Hue Jackson, ultimately leading
to his removal from the team, along with offensive coordinator Todd Haley after
their week 8 loss to the Steelers. Having a much better cast on this roster and
only being able to muster a 2-5-1 record to week 8, it was clear that a
coaching change was in the cards.
Taking over the club from that point on, defensive
coordinator Greg Williams was installed as the interim head coach with Freddie
Kitchens being promoted to offensive coordinator. This shake up was exactly
what the doctor ordered for both Mayfield and the Browns roster, as a more
organized competitive group became the reality.
Over the final eight weeks of the regular season,
Cleveland was able to generate a 5-3 record to salvage some prospects of
building a winner for the following season. In that revamped second half of the
season, Mayfield proved he belonged in the league while breaking rookie records
in the process. Teamed with rookie runner Nick Chubb who took the league by
storm when given the reins to the starting role, he just missed generating his
first 1000 yard season by a mere 4 yards while only starting 9 contests on the
season, extremely impressive.
When all was said and done, the new outlook of the
Browns should have its fans holding their heads high at the prospects of them
becoming that much stronger next season.
2019
Offseason WorkBook:
The
Coaching Staff
While interim coach Greg Williams did a sound job in
relieving Hue Jackson, an open competition for the job is how the Browns saw
the search occurring.
Conducting interviews to see who would take over as
the lead man in Cleveland, the Browns chose to move forward with interim
offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens. Owner Jimmy Haslam realized that
Kitchens had interest generating across the league and wasn’t comfortable
letting him leave the organization, so offering the head role was the only
plausible outcome.
Wasting no time in building his staff, Kitchens hired
Cardinals head coach cast off Steve Wilks to become the team’s defensive
coordinator, while snagging former Tampa Bay Buccaneer offensive coordinator
Todd Monken.
Wilks is a good defensive mind that should bring more
credibility to the club with his vast experience and knowledge of the game. His
time in Arizona shouldn’t be seen as the staple to his career, but a speed bump
that came with unforeseen circumstance.
Offensive coordinator Todd Moken saw much better
success last season and should be viewed as a great positive to team up with
Freddie Kitchens. The Bucs passing game was in fact the best in the NFL a
season ago with both Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing the ball.
Either way, prospects look bright for this edition of
the Browns to move up the NFL ranks.
The
Offense
When reviewing what the Browns currently employ on
offense, and the potential for this group to obtain better status this upcoming
season, we surly are beginning to lick our chops at the diagnoses.
Admittedly, we weren’t all in on the Baker Mayfield
hype train when the Browns chose to bring him to the city of Cleveland, but
after diving into his film and successes of the past season, we shall eat our words
completely. Baker Mayfield excelled and proved he was a true NFL starting
caliber quarterback with high-end leader traits, able to lead an organization.
Understanding defenses more as the weeks prolonged, Baker managed to break the
NFL rookie record for passing touchdowns in his first season. Seeing coach
Kitchens return to the club gives us great optimism that familiarity in the
offensive system will only grow his game further. The outlook is strong for the
Browns franchise signal caller.
The running back situation for the Browns has been
rather fluid over the last eight months, and looked to have solid showings as
the season ended, but again, it appears more speculation could be afoot. When
the Browns traded Carlos Hyde to the Jaguars during the season, Nick Chubb took
the rock and proved he was worthy of being a number one back in the league.
With Duke Johnson playing the role of pass catching and change of pace back, we
thought we had the clearest picture of what this group would be in the new year.
In recent weeks, the Browns have taken a shot on former Kansas City Chiefs
outcast (Kareem Hunt); signing him to a one year contract in hopes he can
correct his off field issues. With a suspension looming for Hunt for the
upcoming season, his stance still has uncertainty. Chubb will have first shake
at leading the team in carries, but upon Hunt’s return to the field, we could
see a multi-back system implemented.
The Browns receiving core is a group that could use
more talent, but has standalone value as of today. Led by reception king Jarvis
Landry, the forecast of others still looks rather uneven. With that said, we
are big supporters of Antonio Callaway, but would like to see him take the next
step in his development proving he is in fact that first round talent we think
he was. We have no doubt that more talent will be brought in to help the
receiver room take the next step and help the Browns passing game get stronger.
Adding tight-end David Njoku to the mix of pass
catchers, we have a slightly different outlook than most on the athletic freak.
While we think he could still shine in the league, we would like to see much
more from a player that should be able to change games on a weekly basis. At times
David appeared to be absent and a non-factor causing concern. We will be
watching his development this season with keen eyes.
When discussing the offensive line group for the
Browns, we have a good level of encouragement. The offensive line play saw a
huge step up with opening up lanes for the run game to be very productive,
while keeping Baker off the turf. The Browns kept Mayfield’s jersey rather
clean seeing him hit the ground a mere 25 times since entering in week 3. The
run game produced a healthy 1900 yards on the ground which was good enough for
middle of the pact statistics. Improvements can be made, but they are headed in
the right direction.
The
Defense
Statistically, the Browns didn’t show they could keep
up with better competition in the league, but do have quite a few talented
pieces on this side of the ball.
Miles Garrett is proving to be that dominating force
he was expected to be leading the team in sacks with 13.5. The greater issue on
this line is the support system that can’t seem to pull attention from
Garrett’s side consistently. The defense as a whole only managed 37 sacks on
the season, a mark they will be looking to improve in 2019. Adding more talent
to this group would be a welcomed sight.
The Browns line backing core is a quite but stout
bunch that we’ve grown to really appreciate. There was no question that Jamie
Collins was a beast from his days in New England, and proved his ability once
again this year in leading the team in tackles while adding 4 sacks. Joe
Schobert in his own right showed he was a tackling machine racking up a
whopping 103 take-downs himself. Rounding out the group with Christian Kirksey,
the potential domination was riding high until he was lost for the season to
injury. This group has a very bright future ahead of them and will be leaned
upon this upcoming season.
A major concern on the defensive backend was clear, knowing
that more playmakers need to be added to help the transition. When the Browns
drafted Denzel Ward (our favorite DB in the 2018 draft), we knew they would
have a bona fide shutdown island corner for many years to come. Having safeties
Damarious Randall and Jabrill Peppers anchor the backend, it’s clear that
additional support is greatly needed at corner back. This is another area the
Browns will address come the NFL draft and free agency.
Team
Free Agents / Team Salary Cap
It’s been a very long time since the Browns have held
a roster filled with a great deal of talent, while still managing their
financials to view with such a sound outlook.
As of today, Cleveland possesses a whopping 78 million
(+$78,186,965) in free cap space to add more talent to this up and coming
roster build. Having only 14 team free agents to contend with, the near future
looks extremely bright. Depth pieces line this listing of players set to hit
the open market with Tyrod Taylor, EJ Gaines, Carl Davis, and Breshad Perriman
looking to be the only viable pieces to potentially re-up. Outside of that,
John Dorsey should be looking deep to the open market once again.
Normally, it’s our objective to find ways to increase
teams overall cap situation, but in the Browns case, they have no real cap
concerns and would like to keep as many talented players on the roster as
possible. We suspect minor cuts could happen, but the nuts and bolts of this
roster should still be in place.
Perhaps the greater concern for the Browns is savings
funds on the books to pay upcoming star talent when their contracts are up for
renewal.
The
NFL Draft
Along with the exuberant amount of funds on the books,
the Browns again have a stock pile of draft picks to continue to build this
club. Holding a healthy 10 selections in this year’s draft class, we could
witness Cleveland move in multiple directions.
Opening the draft with the 17th overall
pick in the first round, it’s not inconceivable to see the Browns trade up to
select the player they covet. Holding an extra 3rd and two extra 5th
round selections, Cleveland has ample ammunition to dictate the first round if
they please.
Shoring up the defensive backend may be the initial direction,
but adding talent to the defensive line, offensive line and receiving core
should be the way we witness the Browns starting this draft. This year will be
exciting for Browns fans as the roster build will continue to improve this
squad.
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