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Daniel Oyefusi, ESPNSep 24, 2024, 06:00 AM ET
- Daniel Oyefusi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN. Prior to ESPN, he covered the Miami Dolphins for the Miami Herald, as well as the Baltimore Ravens for The Baltimore Sun. You can follow him on Twitter @DanielOyefusi.
CLEVELAND — The Browns’ vision of a grandeur new-look offense — a spread-out approach that highlighted quarterback Deshaun Watson‘s dual-threat ability — has failed to come to fruition through three games.
Instead of a modern offense that would complement an elite defense, the Browns have fielded an impotent unit that has been met with boos from their home crowd and rivaled some of the worst offenses that have taken the field since the franchise returned to Cleveland.
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The Browns are averaging 3.8 yards per play, the second-worst mark in the NFL and the franchise’s third worst through the first three games of a season since returning to Cleveland in 1999, per ESPN Research. The team’s third-down conversion rate –18.6% — is the worst of any team and the Browns’ lowest mark through the first three games of a season since 1999.
Watson, the quarterback for whom the Browns gave up three first-round picks and signed to a fully guaranteed $230 million deal, has continued to struggle since coming to Cleveland and a usually reliable pillar has become unstable.
Amid a 1-2 start for the first time under coach Kevin Stefanski, the Browns’ issues on offense can be traced to multiple factors, from personnel to coaching.
Offensive line struggles and injuries
What has often been a strength under Stefanski has become a weak link in 2024. Cleveland’s offensive line has regressed, and injuries, both lingering and new, have only exacerbated the unit’s issues.
The Browns lost three offensive linemen — right guard Wyatt Teller, left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. and right tackle James Hudson III — in Sunday’s loss to the New York Giants. Another lineman, right tackle Dawand Jones, was pulled after halftime because he was struggling with a knee injury, per Stefanski, only to have to reenter the game after Hudson left with a shoulder injury. The ailments forced a mass shuffling along the offensive line, which included left guard Joel Bitonio moving to left tackle. Stefanski said the team never practiced with the offensive line combination that finished the game.
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Stefanski said Monday that Teller will miss “multiple weeks” with a knee injury and could go on injured reserve, which would sideline him for at least four games. Right tackle Jack Conklin, who has yet to play since his knee injury in Week 1 of the 2023 season, was ruled out the day before Sunday’s game because of a hamstring injury that Stefanski called a “minor setback.”
Protection issues have been prevalent throughout the team’s first three games, and it’s a weakness that opponents are exploiting. Entering Week 3, the Giants blitzed on 25% of opponent dropbacks. But against the Browns, New York raised that rate to 57% of Watson’s dropbacks. Watson was sacked eight times against the Giants and has been sacked a league-high 16 times, the most by a Browns quarterback through their three games of a season since the 1970 merger, according to ESPN Research.
The Browns’ Pass Block Win Rate through three games — 60.2% — would be the lowest single-season mark since Stefanski arrived as head coach in 2020. Cleveland ranks 14th in rushing yards before contact — 2.67 — but it’s a far cry from the dominant rushing game typically led by Nick Chubb, who is on the physically unable to perform list.
“When you’re talking about protection, it’s everybody,” Stefanski said. “It’s from myself, the coaches, the offensive line, tight ends, running backs, wide receivers, quarterbacks. It’s everybody. And everybody has a job to do in order to keep the quarterback clean. So I got to do my part. It’s no secret we can’t let him get hit that many times. That’s not good enough and that will get fixed.”
Quarterback play
Watson’s first pass against the Giants was arguably the best he has thrown as the Browns’ starting quarterback. One play after Cleveland forced a fumble and recovered the ball on the opening kickoff, Watson lofted a 24-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper in tight coverage to take a 7-0 lead.
But after that, Watson reverted to the form he has shown throughout his time in Cleveland — indecisiveness and inaccuracy. After Sunday’s game, Watson’s total QBR — 23.3 — ranks higher than only the Carolina Panthers’ Bryce Young, who was benched last week.
Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson ranks ahead of only Carolina’s Bryce Young in Total QBR. Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire
When asked on Monday about Watson’s in-game feel and processing, Stefanski said that “Watson sees the field well.”
Drops have been an issue for the Browns’ pass-catchers, registering a 5.2% drop rate on Watson’s passes, the third-worst mark in the league. But Watson’s accuracy also remains a problem. His off-target rate — 24.5% — is the third-worst in the NFL and would be the worst for Watson in a single season in his career. He appeared frustrated at times after overthrowing receivers on Sunday and lamented the missed opportunities after the game.
“We’re not blaming anybody,” Watson said. “… There were some throws that I missed that could have capitalized things and helped everything out. So, all of this is a team effort.”
Coaching/playcalling
The Browns under Stefanski have typically been one of the best running teams in the NFL. But Cleveland ranks 24th in rushing yards and 31st in designed rush rate, partly a byproduct of trailing for so much time through three games.
On the team’s third-down issues, Stefanski, the team’s playcaller, said he could do better in his early-down calls to put the offense in more manageable third-down situations. The Browns have the third-highest average conversion distance in the NFL (9.2 yards).
Kevin Stefanski said he has to make better calls on early downs to keep the Browns out of third-and-long. Jason Miller/Getty Images
“You can be better on first and second down to help yourself on third down,” Stefanski said. “I don’t think we’ve been good enough on first and second down. Been in some tough down and distances, or in that case, distances on third down. So that’s just a matter of playing better as an offense, but there’s always things that we’re looking at to try to give our guys a chance.”
The team has tried to make adjustments, from its use of a jumbo package in Week 2 and using running backs and tight ends to chip pass rushers and aid linemen. But the fixes have been too late or not consistent enough, leaving the offense searching for some sort of continuity ahead of its Week 4 road game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Honestly, I think that’s the NFL for you,” Stefanski said of the offense’s issues finding an identity. “Week to week, certain guys are going to be unavailable or you’re going to go up against a different rusher than you saw the week before. So that’s our job, just to find ways to be efficient, find ways to be explosive, regardless of the challenges that you may have.”
