Our 2022 NFL Preview remains in the state of Ohio, where the Browns look to bounce back after a disappointing campaign riddled by injuries, COVID, and wildly inconsistent play, along with a few high-profile trades. Of course, the offseason has proven to have been nothing short of chaotic for Cleveland, as they endured a bitter divorce with (former no. one overall pick) Baker Mayfield, only to replace him with (Pro-Bowl Quarterback) Deshaun Watson (much more on him shortly), who had spent the past year in the public eye for all the wrong reasons, battling over TWENTY civil suits due to claims of inappropriate behavior and sexual misconduct. It’s clear that (General Manager) Andrew Berry and (Head Coach) Kevin Stefanski felt that an upgrade was needed at Quarterback, and the haul that they paid for his services was indeed STEEP, but the question still lingers: will Watson get this desperate franchise back in the postseason? For that matter, will the league even allow him to participate? Read on, ladies and gentlemen…
The Saga Continues
No stranger to drama, the Browns have seen their offseason taken over completely by the ongoing saga at the game’s most important position, Quarterback, where they FINALLY received news of how the 2022 campaign may play out under Center. While Mayfield was publicly burning the franchise for their interest in other passers, Cleveland entered into, and won, the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes, acquiring the three-time Pro-Bowler for THREE First-Round Picks (2022, 2023, and 2024), along with a Third (2023) and a pair of Fourths (2022 and 2024), and proceeded to sign the 26-year-old to a massive five-year, $230 million, FULLY-GUARANTEED contract, the largest of its kind in NFL history. Upon signing, Watson was coming off a lost 2021 in which he sat out the entirety of the season due to a whopping TWENTY-TWO civil lawsuits centered on allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior, with it taking numerous months before the majority of them were settled out of court. Meanwhile, the league sat back and waited for the legalities to work themselves out before issuing their own ruling in regard to his breach of their Personal Conduct Policy, with many expecting a suspension of some size to be the outcome. During this time, Berry would trade the wantaway Mayfield to the Panthers, while signing (veteran backup/stopgap) Jacoby Brissett to serve as a bridge until Watson’s return. In a twist, the news dropped last Monday that the signal-caller will indeed serve a six-game suspension to open the season, though the NFL has in turn appealed the ruling, seeking a harsher, indefinite suspension of at least a year. Moving forward, the Browns are confident that the 30-year-old Brissett, who has amassed a 14-23 record as a starter for three different teams over the last six years, can hold the fort down adequately enough in Watson’s absence. Is the former Texan an upgrade over Mayfield? Without a doubt, though we may not see how much better off the team is with him on the gridiron for some time….
Ground & Pound
Given the ongoing saga at Quarterback, it’s easy to forget just how loaded the Browns are on the offensive side of the football, where their running game has become one of the most prolific in the NFL. Since his arrival two years ago, Stefanski has placed a heavy emphasis on pounding the rock, with Cleveland finishing third (148.4) and fourth (145.4) in rushing yards during that span. Depth in the Backfield is a major strength, where (Pro-Bowl Tailback) Nick Chubb (pictured) has proven to be both explosive and a workhorse; the 26-year-old has topped 1,000 yards in each of the last three years, while averaging over 5.0 yards per carry in all four of his seasons with the Browns, collecting no fewer than eight touchdowns in each campaign. However, there is plenty of talent behind him, for Kareem Hunt is as versatile a Tailback as there is in the league, despite missing a wealth of time throughout his career due to injury and suspension. Reports out of Cleveland revealed the veteran requested a trade recently, though the club rebuked his demand. Furthermore, D’Ernest Johnson proved more than adequate while both Chubb and Hunt were sidelined with various maladies, rushing for 534 yards and three scores on 100 carries. Berry and Stefanski added further depth in the 2022 NFL Draft, selecting Jerome Ford out of Cincinnati in the Fifth Round, while Demetric Felton returns for his sophomore season. If anything, they have enough options in the Backfield that if they needed to flip one of them for reinforcements in other areas, then Berry has the trade chips to make a deal. The point that we’re trying to make here is that it may not matter who is playing Quarterback for Cleveland this season, at least during its early stages for their ability to control games on the ground has and will continue to mask many weaknesses. This would also have a positive effect on the Defense, which we’re about to get into in three, two, one…
Playing to the Hype
Coming into the 2021 campaign, there was a common belief around the NFL that the Browns were on the verge of becoming a top-tier defensive unit. Granted, (Defensive Coordinator) Joe Woods’ troops certainly weren’t poor by any means, yielding the fifth-fewest total yards in the league (311.5), but they did develop a penchant for melting down against some of the more formidable Offenses that they faced. Between the Chiefs, Chargers, Cardinals, and Patriots, they were touched up for an average of 40.5 points on 423.5 total yards, including 295.3 via the pass. Now, all of these performances occurred before Thanksgiving, and it should be noted that Cleveland stiffened considerably after the loss at New England, but the fact remains that when they were forced to match wits with the best, they routinely found themselves lacking. So, what’s the problem in Northern Ohio, you ask? Well, there is certainly some high-end talent to be found; (All-Pro Defensive End) Myles Garrett (pictured) really put it altogether last year, totaling career-highs in a slew of categories, including sacks (16.0), tackles for loss (17), quarterback hits (33), knockdowns (17), and pressures (52). Furthermore, (veteran Edge) Jadeveon Clowney enjoyed a return to form on the opposite flank with nine sacks, thirty-two pressures, and nineteen hits of the passer, with each figure representing his highest total in three years, leading to a one-year, $11 million renewal with the franchise. And that’s just to name a few playmakers on a unit that fields plenty of high picks. Where they struggled though was in the red zone, where they turned into a sieve as opponents scored touchdowns on 65.4% of their opportunities (27th Overall), while also failing to register many takeaways, totaling just nineteen, which ranked in the bottom third of the NFL (21st Overall). Perhaps another offseason learning Woods’ scheme will help them live up to their billing, but one thing is for certain: the Browns will NOT be returning to the playoffs in the loaded AFC if their Defense can’t compete against the better attacks.
Projected Finish: 6-11
As Watson saga continues to drag on, there are still plenty of concerns about the Browns, and the likelihood of returning to the playoffs after last year’s regression is questionable at best. Can they avoid a slow start as Brissett fills in for Watson for the first six games, and what happens if his reign as starter is longer than that? If he even gets on the field, how will Watson perform within Stefanski’s Offense after missing all of last season? Will the Defense finally live up to its billing? That may be too many questions to answer in what is sure to be a LOADED AFC…