The NFL is back, and Sportsnet is breaking down everything you need to know about each of the 32 teams—including why you should or shouldn’t be rooting for them this season—in the month leading up to kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 8. Today, the Cleveland Browns.
Last year’s record: 3-13
Head Coach: Hue Jackson
Core players: Robert Griffin III (QB), Josh Gordon (WR), Joe Haden (CB)
2016 is about… Establishing a new culture. They’ve got a new front office, new head coach, new quarterback and fewer distractions now that Money Manziel is out of town. Instead it’s “moneyball” with Sashi Brown and Paul DePodesta infusing old-school football culture with a baseball-inspired analytical approach. The Browns have already accumulated 14 draft picks for 2016 and 10 for 2017. This year is about discerning which current players are building blocks and which are disposable and replaceable.
But they lost… Johnny Manziel, Barkevious Mingo. The first was a bad fit culturally, and the second was under-performing. They also lost offensive tackle Mitch Schwartz. They said bye to Alex Mack and safety Tatiana Gipson, but that’s so they could receive compensatory picks for them. Receivers Travis Benjamin and Brian Hartline were also replaced with younger options, and Karlos Dansby was arguably their best defensive player, but at age 34 it’s better to say goodbye to sooner than later.
Paul Kruger, who had 11 sacks for the team as recently as 2014, was in the team’s first round of cuts this pre-season.
Yeah, but they got… Josh Gordon, who hasn’t played since 2014 due to suspension, so him being back with the team starting in Week 5 is like an acquisition. Additionally, former Baylor teammate Robert Griffin III is now also in town playing quarterback. The two have already struck up a great chemistry in limited reps together in the pre-season.
Growing from within… Terrell Pryor has looked like an NFL receiver. He’s no longer on the roster as a quarterback after signing with Cleveland when Josh McCown was lost for the year in 2015. The Browns are also trying to develop a young and cheap offensive line. For that to work, second-year player Cameron Erving is expected to take over at centre. They’re grooming Alvin Bailey and rookies Shon Coleman and Spencer Drango to be their succession plan at right tackle.
Why this team? Because they aren’t the Browns of old. They turned over their roster more than any team in the AFC North this off-season, and could at the very least offer up a more exciting brand of football.
Why not this team? The division is so tough. Each of the other three teams has made the playoffs in the past four seasons. The division often sends two teams to the playoffs with a third not being out of the question. Even if Cleveland improves they’ll still be far behind the others in the division, who all expect to win 10 games a year.
How much hope? 6/10. There’s lots of hope, but most of it is towards long-term projections rather than immediate success. You should expect immediate incremental improvements as they can’t get much worse than what they’ve been over the last decade. They also have done things in a fiscally responsible way. The Browns got a starting quarterback for just $7 million rather than splashing big money in free agency or giving up prospect capital in the draft.
The last five head coaching hires in the AFC North have been with the Cleveland Browns. All of the other teams have had continuity with a GM and head coach working together. The hope stems from mainly the fact the owner Jimmy Haslam has made an investment in giving their front office resources and getting out of their way.