Three Decisions the Browns May Regret In 2024
Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns believe they are in the middle of their Super Bowl window, but some of the moves made this offseason (or lack thereof) could come back to haunt them. The team has Deshaun Watson for the long term, and this is one of the best defenses in football on the other side of the ball. The talent is there, and it’d be a shame to have a small mistake in the offseason stop them from contending.
What miscues might Andrew Berry come to regret next season? Let’s take a look at three decisions Cleveland made that the team may regret for this season and beyond. If the Browns’ Super Bowl window closes quickly, these could easily be the reasons why.
Not Trading for Justin Fields
The Browns knew one of their first offseason moves had to be bringing in a backup quarterback to put behind Watson. The team decided to go with former No. 1 overall draft pick Jameis Winston, counting on him to be a fine option in 2024 if Watson does go down with another injury. Winston is a serviceable veteran who can win some games.
But what will the Browns do if Watson continues to deal with long-term injuries, gets himself embroiled in off-the-field trouble, or his play on the field continues to flounder? Last season, Watson was inconsistent, at best. Over two seasons with Cleveland, Watson has thrown for only 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The Browns should want a failsafe if he continues to put up numbers this underwhelming.
This offseason, the Browns had the perfect opportunity to get a high-upside backup for Watson in Justin Fields. Fields had his issues with the Chicago Bears, but there is still plenty of talent, and it’s not like he was in an ideal situation.
Instead, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Browns’ bitter rival, traded a mere sixth-round pick, and now they might have their franchise quarterback. There is a chance that Fields just isn’t an NFL-caliber quarterback, but a sixth-round pick is worth the risk, even if that just means that the Steelers don’t get him.
Not Improving Their Tight End Depth
Fields was more of a long-term play, but for 2024, the Browns will regret not improving the depth behind tight end David Njoku. The Browns let Harrison Bryant leave for the Las Vegas Raiders, and although he wasn’t anyone’s idea of elite, he’s a huge upgrade over anything they have left on the roster. Jordan Akins is the No. 2 tight end, and is a 31-year-old who caught just 15 passes last season. Akins would be third or fourth on the depth chart for most teams, including last year’s Browns.
Tip Reiman was a third-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals this season. He went three picks before Cleveland, which means they’d have to have traded up slightly to get him, but Reiman would have been a perfect fit with the Orange and Brown.
He only caught 19 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns last season for Illinois, but his 6-foot-5, 270-pound frame would have provided intriguing tools for Cleveland. There might not have been many long-term options out there, but neglecting the tight end position as a whole could be a major weakness this season.
Not Drafting A Running Back
The most inexcusable non-move of Cleveland’s offseason was not taking a running back in a loaded draft class. The Browns made only six picks, but one of those absolutely needed to be a running back, and Berry came up empty.
Nick Chubb is coming off a devastating knee injury and is already 28 years old. With the decreasing shelf life of running backs, who knows how many quality years he has left in the league? Jerome Ford was a rookie last year, and while he showed flashes, there were a few games where he looked like he was running in concrete. Against the Cardinals in November, he rushed 20 times but gained only 44 yards.
Although there was no clear star in the 2024 Draft, there were around 15 backs who were good bets to be serviceable. Bucky Irving is a perfect example of someone who stood out in college and would have looked good in Cleveland. In 2023, he rushed for 1,180 yards and 11 touchdowns with the Oregon Ducks. He also caught 56 passes for 413 yards and two touchdowns. He was a shifty runner who could have been a difference-maker with the Browns.
Even if they didn’t want to use a fourth-round pick on Irving, there were backs taken later on that would have made a lot of sense. Isaiah Davis was the top running back at the FCS level and would have been a perfect addition in the fifth round. Now Davis is with the New York Jets, and the Browns still might not have their long-term option.
Instead of drafting someone, the Browns decided the best option to bring in was D’Onta Foreman and Nyheim Hines. In fairness, both are decent enough options in 2024, but in the long term, they aren’t leading this team to Lombardi’s Trophy.
The Browns worked to prioritize their ability to win this year, but they also needed to tweak their strategy a bit to address long-term needs at the skill positions. Had they done so, it would have been easy to put this team elite for years to come. With those needs still unfilled, the path to the Super Bowl isn’t totally clear.
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