Cleveland May Have Botched the Rooney Rule

 

When asked to count to two, Mr. Haslam held up only one thumb, indicating a lack of fundamental understanding of mathematics. 

The Cleveland Browns cannot hire a coach.  At all.  The reason is that they have not complied with the Rooney Rule, which requires the team to interview two (2) black or minority candidates from outside the organization.  Currently their total stands at zero, with one interview scheduled. Let's see, is one equal to or greater than two?  No it is not, Mr. Haslam.  One is fewer than two, and therefore your team is out of compliance. 

Right now, Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase is the only African American scheduled for an interview.  However, this must await the end of the Rams' season, which has not happened yet.  Last time we checked, they are still in the playoffs.  The Rooney rule may not be satisfied until after the Super Bowl if the Rams wind up going to the Dance.  

Worse, they scheduled an interview with Mike McDaniel, who refused to interview with the Browns, opting instead to be the Offensive Coordinator for the LA Chargers.  Hence the number of Rooney Rule interviews is zero at this time.  

How can you guys be this stupid? The first thing you should do is comply with the rules, especially if your plan the entire time is to hire from the inside; e.g., Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz.  

Now, if they hurry out and find some minority candidate for Head Coach, it will be altogether obvious that it is only for compliance purposes.  The Browns will look terrible and stupid (as usual).  Don't forget, the Browns are being sued by Brian Flores and other coaches on the grounds that the Rooney Rule is a sham, and this episode will probably become Exhibit A. 

Alternatively, the Browns may have little choice but to hire Nathan Scheelhaase to avoid looking like idiots and getting in trouble with the league.  In that case, they do not have to find a sham interview to comply with the Rooney Rule. 

Ironically, Northeast Ohio and the Browns have historically been way out in front in terms of allowing African Americans and other minorities to participate in professional football.  The Browns have had way more black GMs (Ray Farmer, Sashi Brown, Andrew Berry), black/minority HCs (Terry Robiskie, Romeo Crennel, Hue Jackson), black quarterbacks (David Mays, Spergon Wynn, Seneca Wallace, Jeff Garcia, Thad Lewis, Jason Campbell, Robert Griffin III, Deshone Kizer, Tyrod Taylor, Jacoby Brissett, Deshaun Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, P.J. Walker, Jameis Winston, Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders) than any other NFL team.  Don't forget that Jim Thorpe played here, and Fritz Pollard played and coached in Akron Ohio from the get-go in 1920.  This, however, is not an excuse for not being on top of the rulebook. 

The Browns may have little choice but to hire Nathan Scheelhaase to avoid looking like idiots and getting in trouble with the league. 

The Browns were racially integrated from their inception in 1946, but nevertheless have had trouble complying with the Rooney Rule in 2026.  

Let's Pump the Brakes on Mendoza

What is it that compels us to believe that Fernando Mendoza is vastly superior to other college quarterbacks? 
https://www.instagram.com/p/DSQHEcgka-K/?img_index=4

Fernando Mendoza is a College Superstar, but does he have to be the Number One overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft?  The Cleveland Browns, the most quarterback fixated team in the NFL, may be considering whether they should move up in the draft in order to select Mendoza, despite still have $130 million left to pay Deshaun Watson, and having used 11 draft picks on quarterbacks  depleted roster after donating six draft picks to the Houston Texans and incurring a $230 million dollar due bill for Deshaun Watson.  If the Browns trade their two first round draft picks in the 2026 draft, plus a few more high round picks in 2027, they could probably move up to first overall.  Would it be worth it? 

Mendoza will surely get his shot to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.  That is not in question. However, there are 32 starters in the NFL, and not all of them were first overall picks.  So how many of the boxes does Mendoza check off?

First, the good: we like the physical attributes.  6'5" 225 lbs is hard to argue with. He also has good speed and running ability though not exactly at the level of former Hoosier Antwaan Randle El.  We like that he led the known world in completion percentage with 73.0%.  We love the fact that he had a very low interception rate (only 6).  But how much of this is team and how much of this is Fernando?  The major mistake sportswriters make is confusing quarterback performance with team performance. 

Indiana has been consistently dominant in college football this season with no real weaknesses.  Indiana was great through the air. But, wait a minute, they were super-great on the ground, leading the Big 10 in rushing yards with 218.0 per game.  Mendoza averaged 223.3 passing yards per game, good for eighth best in the Big 10.  QBs with more yards per game include Jayden Maiava 285.5 (USC), Athan Kaliakmanis, 260.3 (Rutgers), Julian Sayin, 257.9 (Ohio State), Malik Washington, 246.9 (Maryland), Dante Moore, 237.7 (Oregon), Demond Williams Jr., 235.8 (Washington), Luke Altmeyer, 231.3 (Illinois).  Fernando is 22 years old and has 35 games to his credit. Most of his rivals are younger and not ready to enter the draft yet.  So,  you want the number 8 QB in the Big 10  from the top rushing team, and you think he is the best prospect for the long term?  That doesn't sound quite right, does it? Indiana had two second-team All-Big 10 wideouts, and a third team All-Big 10 tight end, plus a sterling defense to get the ball back in the hands of the offense quickly.  

Take a look at the Mendoza highlight film and tell me if you see him make an NFL style progression. His first choice is almost always open, so Fernando can afford to wait behind a stud offensive line until his receiver can get open and then throw him the ball. This is perfectly fine in College ball, but not the way they play in the NFL.  This is the same problem that many of us had with Shedeur Sanders last year.  We want to see a QB with "head on a swivel" making his progressions; being able to look left and throw to fool the defense; moving up in the pocket under pressure instead of running backwards and other Master Class tricks.  It sounds easy, but it takes time and many many practice and game repetitions to master the process.  If you have not heard Tom Brady talk about the rookie transition process, he can tell it way better than I can:

Tom Brady on Rookie QB Development

If Mendoza gets drafted by a good team and can be the number two or number three quarterback for at least one season, he has an excellent chance to succeed in the NFL.  However, if he is drafted by a team like Cleveland, where they play rookies very early in the season and expect one man to transform the offense, he will likely fail.  Look for Sam Bradford 2.0.     

So, yes I would draft Mendoza in Round 1, but it is far from obvious that he should be first overall. I might rather have an edge rusher or an offensive tackle or even a running back like Jeremiyah Love, who I think is an outstanding talent, comparable to Leroy Kelly or  Greg Pruitt.  There are other QBs that do not have the supporting cast the Indiana has, and thus maybe cannot produce the same QB stats, that might have similar talent at the position. You know who they are. Ty Simpson and Trinidad Chambliss lack ideal size but might be better passers than Mendoza. Nobody thinks they should be at the top of Round 1. Let's blame Drew Allar and  Garrett Nussmeier for getting their Coach fired (rather than blame the Coach for inadequate offense), and so these guys are Day 2 candidates.  Carson Beck, okay, threw too many interceptions, but if his Miami team pulls off the upset against Indiana, he might propel himself into Round 1.  Is it silly to base a draft on one game?  You bet.  Is the NFL Draft silly for QBs?  Yes. 

But back to Mendoza. Unfortunately, you don't get to draft the entire Indiana team with just one draft pick.  You just get one player from that team with one pick, and I do not believe that one player will transform a bad team into a good team.  Just pray for him not to wind up with the Jets or the Browns.  

  

The Cleveland Browns Have $77 million of Potential Dead Money in 2026

 

Fans, the Browns are getting their butts kicked in the Front Office, and current players scheduled to depart  as free agents could cost the Browns up to $77 million dollars in additional Dead Money charges if they are not re-signed.  This is on top of the $31.7 in "Dead Money" that the Browns are paying off to players no longer with the team such as Dalvin Tomlinson, Juan Thornhill and others.   

Nothing can be done about the 2026 Dead Money. It comes out of the 2026 Cap and it is gone, gone, gone.  But let's talk about the impending Voidable Years money that is scheduled to turn into dead money but isn't quite there yet. 

Jimmy Haslam, Andrew Berry and the Browns are fond of using "Voidable Years" in player contracts to allow them to sign players at a reduced rate, with cap charges due when the player leaves the team and the contract expires.  That is, teams are allowed to defer bonus money until AFTER a player's contract expires.  But if that player leaves the team (retires, is traded or is cut), that money gets charged to that year's cap.  

So for example, Joel Bitonio signed a contract for 2023, 2024 and 2025.  Great.  He got paid $46 million in bonus money.  Great!  That check is cashed and in his bank account.  However, the cap charges are spread over 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2029.  If Bitonio is not signed to a new deal, the charges for 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2029 are going to be deducted from the 2026 salary cap.  That's an appalling $23 million for a player who would not be playing.  That makes no sense, granted, but we're not talking about sense, we're talking about the accounting rules for the NFL salary cap.  

Conversely, if the Browns can talk their players with expiring contracts into signing a new deal, they can continue to spread the bonus money charges five years into the future.

In the case of the Browns O-Line, all five starters plus backup Teven Jenkins have expiring contracts and everyone except right tackle Cam Robinson has "Voidable Years."   Tight end David Njoku and  defensive end Shelby Harris are also scheduled to leave with Voidable Years.  In all, if nobody re-signs and restructures, the "Dead Money" charge to the Browns amounts to $77 million and would come out of the 2026 salary cap.  

Jeepers peepers, that would make $108 Million in Dead Money if nothing is done about it.  

How do you get out of this?  Well, one way would be to re-sign some of these players for one more year, and once again restructure their deals and push the Voidable Year money into the future one more time.  If a player wants to retire, you could even convince a retiring player to sign a contract anyway for a token amount of money, occupy a roster spot, but never show up for work, and that would allow the Browns to once again extend the voidable year money into the future.  You would lose the roster spot, but in effect obtain a loan. This is a horrible way to run a football team, but the Browns are a horrible team.    

"Voidable Years" money is like Crack Cocaine. Haslam  and  Berry seem to be terribly addicted to the concept.  

Not counting the Voidable Years issue, the Browns are currently on the hook for a $301 Million payroll (Top 51 salaries), according to Overthecap.com.  To that you have to add several million for the NFL draft, plus the practice squad, plus in-season injury replacements.  In all we might project $320 M right now.  Prior to refinancing, the Voidable Years adds $77 M, or potentially close to $400 million in commitments.  However, the cap limit will be around $295 million, meaning they must restructure or cut about $105 million.  Needless to say, this will be a very painful process, but it is barely possible.  Restructuring most of these "Voidable Years" is essential, one way or another.

It will mean, however, that more talent will leave the team than will be brought on board.     

Now, to my fellow sportswriters and fans who are fantasizing about expensive free agent wide receivers that are going to come flocking to Cleveland for 2026, you might as well stop deceiving yourselves and the public.  It is not going to happen.  There is no money for free agent extravaganzas like in previous years. Plus nobody with a career wants to come to Cleveland now.  

The Browns Jimmy Haslam III: Galactic Scale Quarterback Meddler

Jimmy Haslam has done many good things for the Cleveland Browns, but he has also been a major league meddler, especially at the quarterback position. On a great team, the players play, the Coaches coach,  the General Manager manages, and the Owners own.  That's not the way it works in Cleveland. At times the Coaches try to do the GMs job, the Players do the Coach's job, and the owner meddles in damn near anything he pleases, including drafting, signing free agents, selecting the starter for a particular game as well as placing players on the inactive list. In particular, he is in charge of quarterback acquisition and development. Sometimes, give him credit, it actually works, but most of the time it blows up, with the Johnny Manziel and Deshaun Watson fiascos as cases in point. 

This article seeks to enumerate the times when Mr. Haslam has subverted the process in the front office.   Mr. Haslam claims that these decisions are made via a group process, and perhaps this is so to an extent.  In that case his General Managers--Ray Farmer, John Dorsey and especially Andrew Berry deserve to share at least some of the blame.  But in many cases, I infer that Mr. Haslam is to blame on the grounds that the moves have been so egregiously bad that an NFL General Manager, is extremely unlikely to have made them.  For example, signing Deshaun Watson was not completely crazy at some price, but giving up six draft picks and $230 Million in guaranteed money cannot be completely blamed on Andrew Berry. It's just too nuts.  Here then, is my list, in chronological order. 

1. Drafting Johnny Manziel, the wisdom of which was reinforced by the wish of a homeless man who urged Haslam to draft Manziel on Draft Day.  JH3 evidently believed it might have been some kind of omen speaking through a prophetic personality.  No, Jim, he was just a drunk. So was Johnny, by the way. 

One son of an oilman to another, a marriage made in Heaven.

2. Benching Brian Hoyer when the team was 7-7 and still in contention for a playoff spot, so that Manziel could start and lead the team into the playoffs.  Well, Manziel was atrocious as a rookie, so the playoffs went up in smoke.  

3. Brokered a foolish trade with the Bengals for A.J. McCarron. Sashi Brown torpedoed the deal by not signing the paperwork before the deadline, which cost him his job, but resulted in the Browns being able to draft Nick Chubb.  In the middle of the 2017 0-17 tanking season, Coach Hue Jackson whined that he could not win with his current quarterbacks that he had previously proclaimed to be "franchise quarterbacks." Sashi Brown said, "Great, because I want the first overall pick," but JH3 felt sorry for Hue and made a deal with Hue's old team, the Bengals, to bring ace backup A.J. McCarron to Cleveland for the price of two second round draft picks. Brown "forgot" to sign the paperwork and the deal did not go through.  He was fired for this selfless act, but really, we should build Sashi a statue for this move. He left the team with nearly $60 million extra cap space and a ton of extra draft picks--including the second round pick used to bring Nick Chubb to Cleveland.

Boy, A.J. McCarron or Nick Chubb?  Hue Jackson and JH3 wanted McCarron, and when you've got a chance for a Franchise quarterback, you've got to go get him, blah, blah, blah.  Isn't that right, fans? 

4.  Launching the Post-Mayfield era cost 6 draft picks, including 3 Round 1 picks and $230 million for Deshaun Watson, the worst trade in NFL history.  Andrew Berry liked Deshaun Watson, but Jimmy loved him and thought that paying any price was worth it to buy the Super Bowl.  Watson went from $35 Million guaranteed remaining on his deal with the Texans, to $230 million guaranteed in Cleveland.  But that's not the true cost. If you could auction off draft picks, 3 Round 1's,  2 Round 3's and a Round 4 would probably be worth another $200 million. In short the Browns paid three times what Watson was worth, and he started having bad years immediately.  I don't think Deshaun is a bad quarterback, but seeking to emulate the Buffalo Bills deep passing offense was not the right move for him.  

Maybe a Quarterback at any price is not a good philosophy after all. So, did you learn anything from the experience, or shall we repeat the same mistake? 

5.  Signing former Tennessee Vol quarterback Joshua Dobbs as a third string QB in 2022, firing him, signing him again, and then trading him away after training camp.  What?  Doesn't it seem like there was an internal disagreement about Dobbs?  My theory is that Haslam, the staunch Tennessee Vol alum, was the advocate for Dobbs, the former Tennessee Vol Quarterback, and in this case Haslam was mostly right. Nevertheless, the Browns cut Dobbs for no real reason, and then the world found out that he could play when he caught on with the Titans later than year and played well with short preparation. Hey! How about that?  JH3 got one right!  So they re-signed Dobbs for 2023, but then Andrew traded him for a late draft pick to start the season, because Arizona needed a replacement for Kyler Murray, who was injured.  Wait a minute, since when is it the Browns' job to perform acts of charity for other teams' misfortunes?  But don't worry because...

6.  The Browns drafted QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson in Round 5 and he miraculously became QB2 right out of training camp, ahead of Dobbs.  This made zero sense.  Look, your backup quarterback has to be ready to play on opening day.  He cannot be a developmental Round 5 guy who needs two years to learn the NFL-style playbook.  However, the Browns made him second string right out of training camp (why? Because he completed passes in preseason games?? Really??), and the perception became that Dobbs was expendable (FALSE!). Once in a while it does happen (Russell Wilson and  Dak Prescott were exceptions, but was there really reason to think DTR was Russell or Dak?  Then they did it again in 2024, promoting him over Jameis Winston, only to have him go down due to injury. DTR ended his NFL career with 1 TD pass and 10 INTs. Only an owner could have such a great fascination for rookie quarterbacks.  

7.  Firing Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco after a bad playoff loss in 2023.  The Browns scouting department keeps on coming up with solid veterans like Brian Hoyer, Josh McCown, Jacoby Brissett, Jameis Winston, and the Browns at the highest level keeps on trashing them.  Joe Flacco save the Browns from DTR and took the Browns to the playoffs but lost to Deshaun Watson's former team, the Houston Texans.  Well, no wonder.  We gave them six draft picks and they used those players against us.  But the main reason Joe had to go was that the Dawg Pound loved him more than Deshaun (in fact we loved darn near everyone more than Deshaun).  JH3 is fearful of the dreaded "quarterback controversy." We can't take it, so to paraphrase Hank Williams, Sr., "Goodbye Joe, you gotta go, me oh my oh!"

Joe Flacco led the Browns to the PLAYOFFS!  Does Haslam care? No. 

8.  Firing Joe Flacco again after a 1-3 start in 2025. We're sorry, Joe!  What were we thinking?  We went 3-14 in 2024 without you Joe! Please come back!  But okay, the Front Office corrected the terrible decision to fire Joe Flacco in 2023, and once again convinced themselves they were Super Bowl contenders. However, after going 1-3 to open the season, they pushed the panic button, and fired Flacco.  The solution?  Rookie quarterback! Enter third round pick Dillon Gabriel.  As mentioned above, it is very rare for a mid-round pick to start early and succeed in the NFL.

9.  Using four (4) draft picks on quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL draft.  Wait, what?  The Watson process obliged the Browns to provide 2 draft picks to Houston in 2022, 2023, and 2024, plus they used another pick in 2023 on DTR. Rather than give it a rest in 2025, they burned four (4) draft pics on quarterbacks this year.  Given that each team gets only seven per year, four is a.  This is the first year that the Browns had a full slate of draft picks after the Deshaun disaster and they had no business burning four picks on QUARTERBACKS.  A Round 5 traded for Kenny Pickett. A Round 3 used for Dillon Gabriel.  Then an additional Round 6 and a Round 5 were traded to move up in Round 5 for Shedeur. That's completely absurd. Deshaun (6), DTR (1) and the 4 for 2025 account for 11 in four years, including three Round 1 picks. Haslam can point out that he got picks back for DTR, Flacco and Pickett, but they were all worth less than what he paid.  Hence these moves were not sound.  They are more symptomatic of an obsession rather than normal football operations.  

The two veterans with winning career records are Flacco and Pickett.  They were both traded away at a loss. 

10.  Bringing Ravens QB Tyler Huntley into camp, teaching him the playbook, and sending him back to Baltimore two years in a row.  I mean, come on, you can't be giving a quarterback from our arch-rival access to our playbook as well as inside information about the team. If you're going to invite him to camp, give him a contract.  Moreover, Huntley was much more qualified to start in 2025 than either Gabriel or Sanders, given that he had six years of NFL experience including preseason 2024 with the Browns, so quit pretending we late-round rookies are better than veterans.  They were late round picks for a reason, and it was FOOLISH to expect instant success from mid-to-late round picks.  With all the talk about being willing to carry four QBs on the roster, how did the Browns wind up with zero experienced QBs on the active roster by Week 5?

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There you have it, fans.  These moves are so stupid it is difficult to believe that a professional General Manager thought them up.  Still, Andrew Berry has to bear some of the guilt because he signed off on them, and in particular, he created the insane contract that financed Deshaun coming to Cleveland. 

You can fire the Coach, you can fire the General Manager, but you cannot fire the Owner, so look forward for more quarterback madness in 2026. How many qbs will they draft this year and who will they be?  How many draft picks will they trade for quarterbacks, quarterbacks, quarterbacks?  Or will we tank the season for Arch Manning next year? Stay tuned!

Haslam's Golden Gut Triumphs Over DePodesta's Black and White Analytics

 

Paul Depodesta is going to the Colorado Rockies, where they might listen to him.  The Browns would listen for a year, get impatient, and do things Jimmy's way (thank you Mac the Buffalo). 

You can stick a fork in our Cleveland Browns.  We're done.  Jimmy Haslam III hated being told what to do by numbers geek Paul DePodesta anyway. Now he doesn't have to feel guilty about ignoring him.  He's gone, off to oversee operations of the Colorado Rockies.  

This is a disaster, in this analyst's view.  It seems to me that Browns ownership has been divided between Mr. and Mrs. Haslam, with Jimmy preferring to trust his own instincts, and Dee preferring to rely on the best available advisors.  DePodesta was the best possible advisor and had the right idea, making evidence-based decisions. Realizing that the Browns were inferior to the Steelers and Ravens as evaluators of talent and team builders, the way to overcome the gap was to hoard draft picks and cap space for a few years, and then outspend and out-draft the rest of the league for about five years in a row, building a stronger organization in the process. However, it was going to be a cycle, and the team would have to be restocked at some point.  The Browns have been at that point for a few years now but will not admit it.  4-13 and no cap space for free agents is the result.

DePo's plan was working in 2018 when they drafted three Pro Bowl talents in one draft:  Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward and Nick Chubb.  However, then they reversed course and started using the Jimmy method, figuring they were going to win the Super Bowl in 2019. They overspent and traded away first round draft picks for the likes of Odell Beckham, Jr., and hired Freddie Kitchens, a guy with zero coaching experience, as head Coach. That was a disaster, so they went back on the DePo plan, what was left of it, hiring analytics-based Kevin Stefanski and made the playoffs.  Ah, now we've got it!  But then they shifted back into Full Haslam mode by overspending on Deshaun Watson while simultaneously obliterating their draft for three years. Hence they have re-established themselves as "loveable losers" which is where they find themselves today, mired in salary cap hell, and trusting the owner to find the right quarterback.  

This year the Browns used four draft picks on quarterbacks: two to draft Shedeur, a Round 3 pick on Dillon Gabriel plus a Round 6 pick (plus Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who they were ready to give up on) for Kenny Pickett, and also signed Joe Flacco.  Pickett and Flacco have been fired, with Flacco currently averaging 313 yards per game for Division rival Cincinnati, and Pickett serving as second string at Las Vegas. This is classic Jimmy Ball. 

The Browns salary cap is in shambles. They still owe $130 million to Deshaun, plus they have multiple long term guaranteed contracts to aging veterans, causing them to already be overspent for 2026. They will have to restructure or cut multiple veterans just to get under the limit, and there won't be money to add new big time free agents, so forget about those fantasies right now. 

With the possible exception of the New York Jets, the Browns are the most quarterback-obsessed team and fan base in the NFL, making multiple trades and signings this year.  As a result, our best guy, Joe Flacco, is tossing 300 yard games for rival Cincinnati.  

Our talented rookie quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, is also the one furthest away from running an NFL offense.  He will get his chance later this year, but his career with the Browns may already be over. Jimmy and the Dawg Pound can't wait to get their hands on a new quarterback in the upcoming draft.  The Browns will not be able to offer much in the way of pass protection, as they are contractually committed to the same old guys who are currently ranked number 32 in the league out of 32 teams.   It's a total mess, and it's going to get worse. 

Remember, you wanted this.

Browns Patented Method for Ruining Young Quarterbacks--Good for Shedeur??

Many fans pooh-pooh the notion that Shedeur Sanders fell in the draft because of fears that he would get Front Office people fired in the organization that drafted him. But in Cleveland, many fans are calling for Coach Stefanski to be fired for not playing Shedeur.

The Cleveland Browns are famous for ruining young quarterbacks by sending them into battle before they are ready and having them learn bad habits--mainly trying to apply college offense methods to the Pro game--then giving up on them. 

This is what is wrong with the Shedeur Sanders debate. It's a false issue whether Shedeur is better than Dillon.  Of course Shedeur is better than Dillon. The question is whether putting Shedeur on the field now, behind an aging offensive line and with Jerry Jeudy as the only credible wide receiver, helps his career in any way.

I laugh at those who claim the Browns "need to learn what they have in Shedeur in the second half of the season."  What nonsense.  How much did the New York Jets learn about Sam Darnold in three years?  How much did the Browns learn about Baker Mayfield in four years?  How much did the Giants learn about Daniel Jones in six years?  Answer:  Absolutely nothing.  They did, however, learn to blame their problems on the quarterback.   

 I thought Dillon was a stupid draft pick by Andrew Berry and I said so at the time.  That's not the issue.  Just because Dillon is going to struggle, doesn't mean the best thing is to put Shedeur into a bad situation. 

The quarterbacks are not going to put up numbers until the Browns draft a stud left tackle and replace the old men on the offensive line.  They also need professional wide receivers.

Shedeur has not learned to play within structure.  One piece of evidence is that in the preseason, according to Pro Football Focus and Yahoo, Sanders' Time To Throw (TTT) was 3.96 seconds, the longest of any player ever recorded in preseason.  

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/shedeur-sanders-showed-true-character-125802268.html

That's not good, though it is correctable with time. He had issues hold ing the ball too long in college, and in his last preseason game he got sacked five times, after which fourth string QB Tyler Huntley came in and marched the team down the field and scored. 

So no, I don't think Shedeur will play well on this team in 2025.  He needs to grow in 2025, and the Browns need to upgrade their roster for 2026. 

I don't see the point of watching him suffer through some bad losses this season. He might win a game or two, but it is much more likely that he is going to be as bad or worse than Dillon this year. Shedeur will generate lots of sacks and interceptions and not that many passing yards if he starts this year. 2026 is the more realistic goal to convert him into a Pro style passer.  

Drafting a few offensive linemen and wide receivers might help, too.     

Note, however, that Haslam and Andrew Berry are carrying massive financial commitments for 2026 and will be unable to improve the roster by adding glamor free agents.  They will still owe $130 million to Deshaun Watson, and they are carrying several huge guaranteed veterans' contracts  that will prevent them from signing new veteran free agents. There will likely be dead money charges over $100 million dollars in 2026.  It remains to be seen whether they will have the resources to provide personnel to adequately protect a young quarterback in 2026.  

The vicious cycle may never end for Jimmy Haslam III, who loves quarterbacks so much that he may destroy his team finding the next messianic savior at the position.

A good team can win with a backup quarterback, and in fact Super Bowls have been won about 10 times with backup quarterbacks over the years.  So if your team can only win 4 or 5 games a year, it's probably not just the quarterback that needs fixing. There are probably half a dozen below average players on that unit.    

The Browns are just not a good offensive team.  Seeking to upgrade the quarterback position is a nice idea, but there are many more upgrades that are needed besides the quarterback. The Browns should try to field an NFL-caliber offense in 2026 and if they have that, they could consider starting Shedeur and try to score some points.      

Flacco Rings Up 33 on Steelers: Thank you Cleveland!

 

The Browns have a terrible offense this year, as everyone knows.  So far they have been unable to score more than 17 points. 

Stupid teams try to solve problems by assigning blame, and the Browns are a stupid team. The Browns always, always, always blame it on the quarterback. Hence, they decided to blame their terrible offense on Joe Flacco.  Presumably, everything else was great:  Great O-Line, great WRs, great TEs and great Running Backs.  The only problem was the quarterback, or so they thought.  Out with you, Joe Flacco. Off to Cincinnati for a coveted Round 6 draft pick. That's all you are worth.

None of this can be true.  Otherwise, Joe Flacco could not possibly have led the Bengals to a 33-31 victory.  His ceiling is only 17 points, right? 

Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin did not believe it for a minute. "“To be honest, it was shocking to me,” he said Monday. “Andrew Berry must be a lot smarter than me or us because it doesn’t make sense to me to trade a quarterback that you think enough of to make your opening-day starter to a division opponent that’s hurting in that area (due to Joe Burrow's injury), but that’s just my personal feelings.”

The solution is equally stupid:   ROOKIE QUARTERBACK!  

The Browns LOVE to change quarterbacks! They always think that a rookie quarterback will burst onto the scene and solve all their problems, despite an aging offensive line, lack of depth at running back, wide receivers who can't get open or can't catch the ball and unimaginative 

 

Conversely, it pains me to point out that it is totally implausible that someone as slow and short as Gabriel is could be able to deliver the football in traffic. Linemen are able to crowd him out and bat down his passes. Hence last week the Steelers were able to deflect 8 passes, sacking the little guy 6 times and getting hits on him an incredible 16 times.  This is not going to work, fellas. This is not 2020 when the Browns had five offensive linemen who were a threat to head to Canton when they retire.  Now they are simply a threat to retire.   

A new quarterback will not be effective until such time as they rebuild the offensive line.  They don't necessarily need to use the first overall pick on a stud tackle, but they do need to have some first round ammunition.  They can trade back a few spots and acquire another first round pick in 2027 and additional help in the early rounds, just as they did in the Travis Hunter trade (Browns' No. 2 overall for  No. 5 overall  plus a Round 2 pick and a 2026 Round 1 pick).  Rebuild the offensive line, and then you can think about the skill positions including the quarterback.  

The main question I have, is who is calling the shots in Berea?  Whose idea was it to fire Flacco the first time?  And then whose idea was it to start quarterbacks for just one game at the end of the season (Bailey Zappe and Jeff Driskel in 2023)?  Whose idea was it to sign Kenny Pickett and then trade him?  Whose idea was it to sign a quarterback who can't play in Dillon Gabriel?  Whose idea was it to sign a talented but undisciplined quarterback in Shedeur?  Whose idea was it to blow four more draft picks after Deshaun, making a total of 10 since 2022?  

If I did not know better, I'd swear that co-owner James Haslam III was still calling the shots on quarterbacks and has not learned a thing since the Deshaun debacle.  

Bruce Aryans Would be the Perfect Interim Coach

 

I want somebody that is brutally honest who Shedeur Sanders will actually listen to...like Bruce Aryans!

Well, once again, your Browns have screwed up royal by blaming their inferior offense on a Super Bowl quarterback in Joe Flacco, when the real problem is that the team is about six players short of NFL caliber on offense.  In all, the Browns have invested 10 draft picks, including 3 Round 1 picks, and they have only Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders to show for it.  This has been the most horrible over-investment in quarterbacks in NFL history. 

The current quarterback of the present, Dillon Gabriel, is far more advanced than the more talented Shedeur Sanders, but everyone else in the NFL--as far as we know--graded him in the sixth round.  Namely, Gabriel is too slow and too short to evade the pass rush. His passes are going to get knocked down and he is going to get sacked.  Versus Pittsburgh, he got sacked 6 times, with 16 quarterback hits and 8 pass deflections.

It was a mistake to start Gabriel if the Browns were not serious about committing to him as their starter. A new quarterback normally deserves at least a year to prove that he belongs.  

As it is, Gabriel is an embarrassment.  This stuff--play design, play calling, structuring the team, all of it-- just does not work. 

On the other hand, it is hard to justify starting Sanders, especially while he seems more interested in his stats than doing everything he can to help his team win. You see this often at the college level, when a quarterback will willingly take a sack rather than throw an incompletion.  Dan Orlovsky of ESPN articulated this concern about Shedeur, and there may be some truth to this.

Is there a way to start Shedeur without feeding any potential sense of entitlement?  Well, how about hiring a disciplinarian like Bruce Aryans, a guy with exceptionally high credibility, who also happened to have been Tom Brady's boss when their team won the Super Bowl.  Bruce was also a former Browns Offensive Coordinator.  

Bruce might not be interested for a five-year gig with the Browns, but an interim job might be just the thing for him at age 73.  Heck, let's see if we can get Offensive Line Coach Bill Callahan (69) back. There's another guy with Super Bowl experience and a great track record of success.  

Who's Going to Tell Myles We Want to Give Up on the Season?

 

https://www.nfl.com/videos/garafolo-myles-garrett-s-production-could-be-scary-after-new-contract

Um, Mr. Garrett, the fans would like to give up the season to start testing rookie quarterbacks. We hope you will understand and continue to play for us at a high level while the team gets its butt kicked every week. How about it, sir? (HINT:  He ain't buying it!)

https://x.com/ProFootballTalk/status/1966570434859790701

Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders and Bailey Zappe have the same levels of fan support as the mayoral candidates in New York City--violent disagreement.

A persistent theme in the fan base is that it's time to give up on the season so that we can "find out about" our quarterbacks, Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders and Bailey Zappe and make a decision about drafting a quarterback in 2026.  This mentality that it's time to give up after just a few games is absurd. 

In the NFL, you play to win every game, first of all.  You don't make lineup changes based on next year's agenda until such time as you are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.  You owe that to your players. 

Otherwise, Mr. and Ms. Fan, I am assigning YOU the task of explaining to Mr. Myles Garrett why you want to tank the season, and yet you expect him to stay in Cleveland. Mr. and Mrs. Haslam will hire you to represent the fan base, assign you to a conference room at 76 Lou Groza Blvd in Berea and you can go one-on-one with Mr. Garrett and explain the ingeniousness of your plan to just give up and start testing rookie quarterbacks.   

What exactly do you think you're going to find out?  First of all, the problems with the Browns offense are not related to Joe Flacco.  The offensive line has gotten old, and will not get younger if you install a rookie quarterback.  There is only one wide receiver, Jerry Jeudy, The second guy, Cedric Tillman, only had 339 yards last year, and is off to a slow start this year. 

Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady both talk openly about the need to gain head smarts by studying the first year.  Some college quarterbacks, particularly mobile ones, have been able to have success their first year, notably Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels, C.J. Stroud Baker Mayfield and a few others.

If the offense is struggling under Joe Flacco, if the offensive line can't provide pass protection or run blocking, if there is no WR2 to take pressure off Jerry Jeudy, the offense is certain to continue to struggle. what exactly is the rookie quarterback supposed to do? 

By the way, no matter which quarterback you pick, it will be the wrong one.  The preseason showed us that Shedeur likes to go off script and scramble, and this was very effective in college. He made a lot of spectacular improvised plays but also took a lot of sacks.  He is probably the People's Choice, but is far from transitioning to the Pro game.  

Dillon Gabriel impresses with head smarts and moxie, and played in a pro-style offense at Oregon under Dan Lanning.  However, the combination of small size and slow foot speed may be detrimental for the spectacular NFL success that Browns fans crave.  

Bailey Zappe is also slow but agile and has NFL experience. Nobody thinks of him as a starter after not being the answer in post-Brady New England.  However, he threw for a record  nearly  5,967 yards and 62 touchdowns in his senior year at Western Kentucky.  Yikes. 

If Flacco had to miss a game, Gabriel is the second string, though Zappe would merit some consideration to start.  Zappe started one game for the Browns last year.   

Now let's ask this:  why is it flat out impossible to compete for the AFC North or at least a Wild Card?  At the time of the composition of this article, only the Bengals are above .500, and their first string quarterback is out, possibly for the entire season, with Jake Browning in.  If you're going to tell me that the qb doesn't matter, why are we having this discussion? The Bengals can be caught. 

Do you think that the Steelers are invincible now that they have Aaron Rodgers on their team?  Just like the New York Jets last year nearly went to the Super Bowl, right?  Not. 

The Ravens figure to be the most formidable competition, but they lost one game and should have lost to the Browns.  Not unbeatable. Currently one game ahead of the Browns, and many of our fans want to give up.  

Good grief, this is football.  Just as Tom Hanks said "There is no crying in baseball," I say, "There is no giving up in football."  Yogi Berra said, "It ain't over till it's over." I say the same thing. When you're mathematically eliminated, then you can sit down the veterans who you think might not be with the team next year, not before.  

 

Browns, Packers have Similar Roster Composition

 

The Browns actually have more players from Rounds 1-4 on their roster than the Packers (29 for the Browns versus 26 for the Packers) and the Packers have more players from Rounds 5-7 plus Undrafted players (27 for the Pack and 24 for the Browns).  

The Cleveland Browns actually have one more Round 1 pick on their roster than the Packers do. Overall the Browns have 29 players originally drafted from Rounds 1-4 versus 26 for the Pack. The Packers have more Round 5 and 6 draft picks on their roster, while the Browns have three more undrafted players on their roster. Overall, rounds 5-7 plus undrafted account for 27 Packers versus 24 Browns.  

That is a bit surprising.  Recently I wrote an article pointing out  that Browns are operating at a distinct disadvantage compared to Baltimore because the Ravens have more early round draft picks on their roster than the Browns. This is not surprising after years of giveaways for recycled superstars such as Odell Beckham, Jr. and especially Deshaun Watson. However, surprisingly, the Browns compare more favorably versus the supposedly invincible Green Bay Packers, who are favored by -9.5 points in our house for Game 3.  

Of course, the draft is not always an accurate indicator of talent. Sometimes the undrafted player makes All-Pro, while the first round pick flames out after a year or two.  Plus, the free agent process adds some variables.  The Packers are a very young team, with only the long snapper and placekicker aged 30 or older, whereas the Browns have 11 guys age 30 or older.  

Nevertheless, if the scouting department knows what it is doing, it should be hitting on its early round draft picks.  It is a bit weird that the Packers are more represented by late round picks than early picks.  

Perhaps what we are seeing is that the Packers let their draft picks go rather than re-resigning them, and they have been awarded compensatory picks, which tend to be later round picks.  They would rather have young players from late rounds rather than early round players on their second contract, perhaps.   That trend may continue, now that they have traded for Micah Parsons and their first round picks for the next two seasons now belong to Dallas. 

Why Jimmy Haslam Should Fire DePo and Hire Me

 

I can do a better job than DePo. Honest. Things are screwed up in Cleveland. Details below.  

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Haslam, 

I humbly offer my services to the Cleveland Browns to replace my former idol, Paul DePodesta as Chief Strategy Officer. The organization has gone very, very wrong, and I can definitely do a better job. Or perhaps DePo is actually giving good advice and you are not following it. Or perhaps he has gotten disgusted at having his advice being ignored.  In any case, fundamentals are terrible at 76 Lou Groza Blvd. and they need to be fixed.  I may not know much, but I'm a nuclear research scientist and I think I can provide solutions to complex problems in an understandable way, and that is why you should hire me. 

The DePodesta plan was to hoard draft picks and conserve cap for a few years and then splurge for a few years and try to win it all, then go back to losing and start the cycle over again. My plan is to ALWAYS invest in draft picks and NEVER QUIT. The "splurge" phase was pathological and should simply be omitted. 

The problem is obvious, as you can see by comparing the composition of the Ravens roster with the Browns.  As of Week 3, they have more first round picks than the Browns on their active roster, and the Browns have more Undrafted players on their roster. Who do you think has the advantage? In addition, forget about solving your problems by starting a rookie quarterback.  That imbalance will still exist, and a rookie quarterback will not fix a thing. It's a worthless idea until such time as you have a team to back it up.

The Ravens roster contains 36 players drafted in Rounds 1-4. The Browns have only 29.  Conversely, the Ravens have only 17 players from the later rounds, 5-7 plus Undrafted, while the Browns have 24. No wonder the Ravens are better.  

If you continue to draft two and three times as many high draft picks as other teams, you will surely win. The DePo plan was flawed because it had a built-in signal that at a certain point it was time to blow it all on frivolous investments, like OBJ and Deshaun, that did not improve the team but totally destroyed the personnel advantage that had been developed.  For all his genius, that part was nuts.  Just keep going with the part that was working and DON'T STOP THIS TIME. 

Here then is the blueprint for success: 

1. Stop Accumulating Dead Money 

At present, the Browns are restructuring almost all big contracts into the far future every year to get the first year discount.  This is like trying to get rich by buying more and more things on credit cards. But players cannot play forever and thus a monstrous "DEAD MONEY" charge awaits the Browns salary cap when they are finally cut.  Since 2023, "DEAD MONEY" has inceased as follows: $23.4 M, $42.5 M, $70.3 M. That number will rise to at least $115 M in 2026 and 2027 if Deshaun is cut.  This is money that comes out of the Browns cap allowance but cannot be used to pay active players.  How can we beat Baltimore and Pittsburgh if we have $115 million less money to spend on players than our rivals?  You cannot perpetually put players on first year discount.  

2. Trade for Additional Picks in the Draft

The problem is obvious. As shown above, as of Sept 17, the Browns have 10 Round 1 players, the Ravens have 13 Round 1 players.  The Browns have 13 Undrafted players and the Ravens have 9 Undrafted guys.

The reason why trading down works is that teams that believe they are one player away from the Super Bowl (i.e., half the NFL) are willing to pay exorbitant prices in draft capital to move up in the NFL draft. The Browns can take advantage of this.   

Draft picks can in fact be invested like stocks and other NFL teams eager to win now will offer an incredible Return on Investment (ROI). For example, in this year's draft, Andrew Berry made a great trade with Jacksonville, moving back three spots in Round 1, and acquiring an additional Round 1 pick next year as well as a Round 2 pick in 2025. Using standard valuation methods, the ROI is about 50%, and even higher if Jacksonville finishes worse than 16th overall. Other trades were carried out in later rounds also. For example, an easily analyzed deal occurred when the Bears traded a 2025 Round 5 pick for the Rams' Round 6 pick and their 2026 Round 4 pick. That's a steal for the Bears. 

Let's think about value, and apply it to some of the mega-bad-deals of the past.  The Browns were doing great after the 2018 season having gone from 0-16 to a winning record the second half of the season under Gregg Williams. At that time, John Dorsey decided it was time to blow money and draft picks.  The Odell Beckham Jr. trade made him the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL at the time ($14.5 mil/year sounds cheap now but in 2019 it was a huge number) while simultaneously giving away former Round 1 pick Jabrill Peppers and a Round 1 pick.  What if the Browns had had Peppers plus a draft pick (maybe they would have traded back for additional assets in 2021 while retaining some value in 2020), and two premier free agents to face Kansas City in the playoffs in 2020?  It is very easy to believe that Buffalo would have played Cleveland rather than the Chiefs for the AFC Championship game.  

Now let's talk about the elephant in the room, the true cost of the Deshaun deal.  The salary of a middle Round 1 pick in 2022 would be valued at $60 million over four years plus a fifth year option. Generally it's believed that first-contract players are a better value than veteran deals. So if you include the value of the draft picks coughed up for Deshaun (3 firsts, a third and two fourths), that would add at least $200 million to the acquisition cost.  Deshaun's salary was $230 million, but if you include the value of the draft picks, the total acquisition cost was over $400 million dollars.  No player can possibly worth that kind of money.  

The OBJ plus Deshaun deals show that the general formula of record-setting contracts PLUS first round picks is a bad combination.  LET'S NOT EVER DO THIS AGAIN!

Overspending is the wrong approach.  You win nothing by spending more than anyone else is willing to spend.  

This is why you need to hire me. There is no choice but to once again acquire MORE DRAFT PICKS THAN ANY OTHER NFL TEAM and this time DON'T QUIT.

3. Stop Overinvesting in Quarterbacks

Another way you can blow this is to overinvest in quarterbacks. Good grief, the Browns are the most quarterback-obsessed team in the NFL, edging out the Jets and Giants. Cool it for a few years. In the last four years the team has already mortgaged its future in the Deshaun debacle and also burned four additional draft picks in the past two years. We already discussed the financial insanity of Deshaun's acquisition, but throwing away additional draft picks is doubly insane.  

There needs to be an internal rule that the team will not fire a quarterback without two full seasons on the team.  Even veteran quarterbacks generally improve in their second year with the same team and the same system. One and done is a bad habit. 

The Browns do not need to draft another quarterback in 2026. You already drafted two quarterbacks in 2025. Develop them. Both Tyler Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders have shown promise.  The Browns will likely have priority on the waiver wire for the roster cutdown after training camp, and we can choose a decent quarterback for third string.  Somebody like Tommy DeVito or Tyler Huntley will certainly be available again. Even Bailey Zappe will know the playbook and the team by then.  You don't need to throw draft picks away for a third quarterback until Gabriel and Sanders have had a true opportunity. 

 

4.  Run the Damn Ball

The surest guarantee of quarterback success is a strong running game behind a strong O-Line.  Build that first.  The classic mistake is to draft a rookie quarterback with no talent around him and start him immediately and hope he learns by leading the NFL in getting sacked.  Hello, DeShone Kizer. The Browns have ruined many quarterbacks by getting too excited about them and putting them on the field too early and having them learn bad habits.  

The top 10 rushing teams averaged 10.7 wins last year, and the top rushing team was Philadelphia, who won it all.  So if you're going to trot out the tired cliches like "it's a quarterback's league," the numbers say that running the ball is very important. Few teams had success throwing the ball without a complementary running game.  

For a while, the NFL went through a phase in which they thought that running backs were not important to draft because their average career was not very long.  Well, the commitment is not very long either, and if they leave as free agents, you get a compensatory draft pick to take their place. Also, great running backs last longer than average running backs.  So NFL teams are starting to rethink the taboo on drafting running backs early. The Ravens' running back room always has a feature back; a third down guy with outside speed and pass catching ability; a short yardage guy; and a 300 pound fullback.  We should do likewise.

For years, cornerbacks have been highly prized because they generate INTs.  However, did anyone notice that INT numbers are way down in today's NFL? The Browns had 8 fumble recoveries on defense and 41 sacks versus just 4 INTs. So, I'd rather generate more sacks in today's NFL. In the defensive backfield, I'd look for cover guys, not the INT artists, in order to give the linemen an extra split second to sack the QB. That's how drives are ended these days. Hence I'm more inclined to go after corners in like Round 3 rather than Round 1.  In fact, I'll take two. We're playing mostly zone.

5. What If Myles Garrett Demands Out?

This is the hardest part of the article to write.  What if Myles Garrett is unwilling to suffer through the end of the Deshaun payoff and wants out? He is the greatest defensive player that the Browns have ever had. But I think it's unfair to deny him his shot at a Super Bowl. If he demands out, he is going to have to be granted his wish, much like Micah Parsons. I don't think the Browns have a choice. 

Besides, the Parsons deal favors the Packers in Year 1, and maybe even result in a Super Bowl victory, but just like the Deshaun deal, by year 4 they will be missing those two number one picks, and $188 million dollars worth of cap will punish the roster by Year 4. The Cowboys are actually headed in the right direction, but like the Browns, they have a number of sins to repent for before they can win again. 

Summary

There is no easy way out, no magical Franchise Quarterback who will make up for the massive lack of talent on the Browns roster.  You will have to make investments in extra early round draft picks in order to improve.