Category Archives: Browns

Browns season and home opener opponents revealed

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The Cleveland Browns first two opponents have been revealed as they will travel to Carolina Week 1 and host the Jets Week 2.

Cleveland is 0-2 all time in Carolina which gives the team two streaks that they can snap, Week 1 and at Bank of America Stadium. The Browns have not won a Week 1 contest since 2004 with a tie in 2018 preserving their winless streak.

Meanwhile Cleveland is just 2-4 against the Jets at home since 1999, the Thursday Night game which saw Baker Mayfield come in for an injured Tyrod Taylor being their last matchup at First Energy Stadium. The Browns have split two games with the Jets since 2018, both of which came at MetLife Stadium.

Browns, David Bell agree to four-year contract

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Rookie David Bell is under contract. The Cleveland Browns and their third round selection have agreed on a four-year deal worth just under $5 million.

Bell was one of two wide receivers selected by the Browns in the 2022 NFL Draft, the other being Oklahoma’s Michael Woods. This is part of Cleveland’s wide receiver room refresh as they acquired Amari Cooper from Dallas earlier this offseason and have moved on from Jarvis Landry. The Browns now feature these three players at the receiver position in addition to Donovan Peoples-Jones and Anthony Schwartz. This receiver group will be a significantly different group than what appeared in Week 1 last season.

Browns rookie numbers revealed

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The suspense is over for anyone waiting for the numbers of the incoming Cleveland Browns draft class to become known.

Does not mean a whole lot at this time except for those who are incredibly antsy to buy a new Browns jersey. Rookies could still choose new numbers as others become available over the summer.

D’Ernest Johnson yet to sign RFA tender

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Cleveland Browns running back D’Ernest Johnson has not signed his restricted free agency tender as of yet. Johnson was in attendance for voluntary workouts in Berea.

Cleveland tendered D’Ernest Johnson with the right of first refusal allowing them to match any offer from another team. Johnson is part of a crowded running back room which features Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, Demetric Felton, and newly drafted Jerome Ford. A shuffle of some sort appears inevitable as the team continues to make changes to their roster before the season.

No competition for Cade York in training camp

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There is one thing that is very clear about the Cleveland Browns kicking situation, the team believes in rookie Cade York. Head coach Kevin Stefanski stated that York will not have competition during training camp

This announcement comes just one day after Cleveland waived Chase McLaughlin and Chris Blewitt. A front office and coaching staff must have a ton of belief in a kicker to draft him. That belief goes even further when a team moves on from two kickers with experience to hand the reigns over to Cade York.

Hue Jackson gets nothing

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To the surprise of absolutely no one, former Cleveland Browns head coach and all-terrible head coach Hue Jackson has been shut down in regards to his tanking allegations. Jackson came back into the limelight following former Miami head coach Brian Flores’ tanking allegations involving the Dolphins.

While the lack of competitive integrity of the Browns during that period is not surprising, Hue Jackson was still an inadequate head coach. Jackson would consistently make decisions that would cost team wins, resulting in Huey Headlines having a 1-31 record through his first two seasons. Cleveland’s hard lean into (remedial) analytics did not help matters, but Jacksons’ ineptitude as a head coach only made things worse.

Browns waive two kickers

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The Cleveland Browns have waived kickers Chase McLaughlin and Chris Blewitt following their decision to draft LSU’s Cade York.

McLaughlin was Cleveland’s kicker last season, making 15 of 21 field goals and 36 of 37 extra points. Blewitt has appeared in just two games with Washington making two of five field goal attempts and both extra-points.

The Browns decision to draft York essentially ended both McLaughlin’s and Blewitt’s time in Cleveland. All is well so far as York plans to reach out to Phil Dawson about kicking in Cleveland.

Cade York to reach out to former Browns kicker

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2022 Fourth Round selection Cade York has stated that he will reach out to valuable resource when it comes to kicking in Cleveland, Phil Dawson. York made that statement on ESPN Cleveland Monday morning.

Turning to Dawson when it comes to kicking in Cleveland is a wise move by York. There is the famed Phil Dawson flag, which is the only true indicator of wind in the stadium. Dawson made 152 of 179 field goal attempts (84.9%) at home with the Browns and 180 of 185 extra-point attempts (97.3%).

Cade York comes to Cleveland to hopefully provide some stability at the kicker position since the aforementioned Dawson left. York made 164 of 168 field goals (97.6%) and 54 of 66 extra-points (81.8%) in three season at LSU.

Browns add depth options in third day of draft

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The Cleveland Browns entered day three of the NFL Draft poised to build upon their strong start. Selecting Martin Emerson, Alex Wright, and David Bell on day two provided a solid base for Andrew Berry and Co. to add to.

Perrion Winfrey 108th overall

Addressing the interior defensive line was a must for the Browns this offseason. The experiment with the Malik’s (Malik McDowell, Malik Jackson) was a complete failure. Adding Perrion Winfrey to the middle of their line is a step in the direction. Winfrey joins a group which features Tommy Togiai, Jordan Elliott, Sheldon Day, and Taven Bryan. The newly added rookie should compete for and win a starting spot.

Cade York 124th overall

Drafting a kicker is rarely considered to be a wise decision. Cleveland decided to go against the grain anyway and draft LSU’s Cade York in the fourth round. Is this a reach? Maybe. But to be blunt he Browns have needed a kicker since Phil Dawson left and he last played for the team in 2012.

Jerome Ford 156th overall

The selection of Jerome Ford in the fifth round provides some intrigue. Cleveland has Nick Chubb signed to an extension with Kareem Hunt having one year left on his deal and D’Ernest Johnson being a restricted free agent. Perhaps a succession plan for one of, if not both Hunt and Johnson is being put together with this selection.

Michael Woods II 202nd overall

After drafting a receiver in David Bell the day before, Cleveland drafts another the next day with Michael Woods II. Woods II should be able to find a way to carve out a role and playing time with the Browns lacking receiver depth.

Isaiah Thomas 223rd overall

Just like the Browns needed help on the inside, they added more help on the outside. Thomas will be the second rookie edge rusher on this team as they drafted Wright in the third round. Cleveland appears to have their contingency plan in place should Jadeveon Clowney not return.

Dawson Deaton 246th overall

If there is anything that can be taken away from last season is that you can never have enough offensive lineman. After letting JC Tretter go earlier this offseason, Cleveland needed to add some younger and cheaper lineman into the mix. Deaton could be a practice squad candidate with Nick Harris and Ethan Pocic occupying the starting and backup center roles.

Browns solid in day two of draft

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The Cleveland Browns were not scheduled to make a selection in the 2022 NFL Draft until pick 44. Cleveland then decided to trade back to acquire more picks giving them more shots at filling some needs on both sides of the ball. 

Martin Emerson

Waiting until the fourth selection in the third round, Cleveland selected cornerback Martin Emerson out of Mississippi State. Emerson joins a defensive backfield that features Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome, and Greedy Williams. With crucial pass defense is in the modern NFL, adding another defensive back to the mix will give the Browns defense their best chance to slow them down. 

As far as big picture is concerned, Ward signed a five-year extension not too long ago and Newsome just finished his rookie season. That brings the focus to Williams who has dealt with injuries early on in his career. It’s possible that longevity concerns exist and instead of offering Williams a large deal that they are beginning their own succession plan that will help control costs in a crucial position group. 

Alex Wright

The Browns decided to address one of their positions of need with their own third round selection. UAB’s Alex Wright was the pick at 78th overall which will help bolster their defensive line. 

Myles Garrett is entrenched on one side of the line with consistent production being all-but guaranteed. Last season the opposite side of the line featured Jadeveon Clowney. A reunion with Clowney is still possible, but it is worth noting that Cleveland traded for New England’s Chase Winovich and just selected Wright in the draft. While neither move particularly precludes the Browns from bringing back Clowney, they are ensuring they are not left with their hands in their pockets should he sign elsewhere.

David Bell

At some point the Cleveland Browns are going to draft a wide receiver. At 99th overall David Bell was that wide receiver. Bell joins Amari Cooper as the top two receivers on the Browns roster with Donovan Peoples-Jones and Anthony Schwartz playing roles of some sort.

Bell does not possess top end speed and is most likely to end up being the number two receiver in Cleveland long term. The problem on the short term is that the team still lacks a true number one receiver.