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Last season was supposed to be the dawning of a new age for the Cleveland Browns. The organization, perhaps rightly, felt they were an elite quarterback away from truly contending in the AFC and last spring they set their sites on Deshaun Watson. The only problem was the legal and the NFL disciplinary systems had first crack at the former Pro Bowl QB.
So Watson, because of his legal woes, was forced to sit out for the first 11 games of the 2022 campaign, leaving the team in the hands of Jacoby Brissett, a perfectly fine backup quarterback, arguably one of the best in the league. Which, if you follow the sport, would still make him a disaster for your franchise if you started him all season. Under Brissett, the Browns went 4-7 and Watson’s return resulted in a 3-3 record as the dude played his first football in nearly a year and a half.
Watson has the keys now, so what did he show in his six games? Not a lot. He completed a career low 58.2 percent of his passes for 1,102 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing for 175 yards and a score. He led the team to a victory over exactly one team that finished with a winning record, a 13-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens (without Lamar Jackson) and lost to the Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers. Outside of the Ravens win, there were a couple of bright spots with Brissett at the helm. They knocked off the Bengals in Cleveland, 32-13 on Halloween and then took out the Tom Brady led Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 23-17 in overtime on Nov. 27, Brissett’s final start.
Nick Cbubb averaged 5.0 yards per carry on his way to a 1,525 yard, 12 touchdown season. The yardage was a career high and the TDs matched a career high. Amari Cooper proved he’s still a WR1 in the league, catching 78 passes for 1,160 yards and nine scores. Donovan Peoples-Jones put up good numbers himself, catching 61 receptions for 839 yards and three touchdowns and David Njoku proved his worth at tight end, hauling in 58 passes for 628 yards and four touchdowns.
On defense, Myles Garrett remained Myles Garrett, racking up 60 tackles, four passes defensed and two forced fumbles to go with 16 sacks. No one else on the team recorded more than three quarterback takedowns, which was a real problem. Grant Delpit led the team with four picks to go with 105 tackles and 10 passes defended. Denzel Ward had three interceptions with his 53 tackles and 15 passes defended.
CLEVELAND BROWNS
2022-23 Record: 7-10
Playoffs: N/A
2023 AFC Championship Odds: +2000
NOW WHAT?
Well, it’s all about Deshaun Watson now and what he can do to bounce back from a self-inflicted career derailment. While opposing fans, their jeers and stadium signage will continue to point the fickle finger of justice at the disgraced QB, Cleveland, and its fanbase, is apparently fine with it and all in on their quarterback who has officially been banned from receiving a massage outside of the team facility for the foreseeable future. Back in 2020 Watson was widely considered the second-best quarterback in the league behind only Patrick Mahomes and the physical skills are still there. What Watson can do to rehabilitate his image is anyone’s guess, but it can happen. Look at Michael Vick, a guy pretty well beloved across the league right now who went to prison for fighting and killing dogs. Time, and a solid public relations team, can do a lot for a guy like Watson. And at least he only faced financial consequences and no jail time. What all this has done to Watson psychologically, and his ability to perform on the field, is anyone’s guess right now. But we’ll all probably know by October.
As it is, I see a rough start for the Browns out of the gate. They have the Cincinnati Bengals in Week One and play at the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week Two. While I don’t believe they’ll get dominated or blown out, I can see an 0-2 start there. They get a reprieve in Week Three when they host the Tennessee Titans before one of their annual grudge matches against the Baltimore Ravens and their new offense in Week Four.
After their bye, they have the San Francisco 49ers at home before the sledding gets considerably easier. This looks like a team that will flirt with a playoff spot at the end of the year, but will probably top out at eight or nine wins.
THE DRAFT
While Cleveland didn’t make a selection until Round 3, they still earned a solid B- grade from me simply because they took the best players available with the selections they had. Their two third rounders, wide receiver Cedric Tillman out of Tennessee and defensive tackle Siaki Ika from Baylor will push for playing time rigout of the gate. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson out of UCLA has probably cost Kellen Mond a regular employment check and Dawand Jones, offensive tackle from Ohio State, looks like a future starter.
FREE AGENCY
Because of their low sack totals (outside of Garrett), the Browns focused on defense, adding Ogbonnia Okoronkwo as an edge rusher from the Houston Texans. Defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson comes over from the Minnesota Vikings, safety Juan Thornhill from the Kansas City Chiefs, cornerback Michael Ford from the Atlanta Falcons, safety Rodney McLeod from the Indianapolis Colts, outside linebacker Matthew Adams from the Chicago Bears and defensive tackle Trystan Hill from the Arizona Cardinals.
On offense, guard Wes Martin joins the team from the Washington Commanders, speedster wideout Marquise Goodwin comes over from the Seattle Seahawks and tight end Jordan Atkins from the Texans.
AFC NORTH
For my money, the AFC North is the toughest division in the sport. You can keep your AFC East talk to yourselves, especially when the New England Patriots finish 5-12. The North is a two-team race between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens, but that won’t keep all four of these teams from making the playoffs. I don’t think they will, and Cleveland could go 9-8 and still finish fourth, but it could happen.
Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.
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