Is 2022 a Lost Season for the Cleveland Browns?
With a 3-6 record and coming off a dispiriting loss to the Miami Dolphins, a notion being bandied about is that the 2022 season is a lost season for the Cleveland Browns. The lack of success in the standings was baked into the season the moment quarterback Deshaun Watson was suspended for 11 games. If the argument is rooted in the idea that the team is regressing, that there are more holes now than before the season, there's a conversation to be had but would require ignoring positive strides the team has made.
This season has been frustrating as is being asked to defer another year to contend. When they aren't falling short in games they could win, some in historic fashion, they have are getting thumped by the Dolphins and New England Patriots. This team could absolutely have a better record and potentially still be viable for the postseason. However, part of the reason they aren't better and their playoff chances are hanging on by a thread was was Browns acquired Watson and the team operated that way, for better or worse.
The Browns gauged interest from the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson only to be rebuffed. That currently looks like a blessing. Had the Browns acquired either, their present and future would be far more bleak than they are now.
Despite dubious moral implications, the Browns made the decision to acquire Watson. While that all but doomed the Browns in the 2022 season, it still likely represents the best path forward through the lens of winning and competing for a championship.
Had the Browns not made the trade, Baker Mayfield is the quarterback for another season, they have the player they would've drafted in the first round and might have a little more from free agency. Then Mayfield is a free agent the team doesn't want to sign and they have to find a quarterback somewhere. Do they try to move up in the draft and get a promising rookie that the team would then be waiting on to develop? Hope that another team is looking to unload a veteran and start over?
Rather than hope, the Browns took decisive action in acquiring Watson. It was a short cut in a number of unflattering ways but the one they are focused on involves a trophy.
The other aspect that was known even if we hoped it wasn't was just how problematic the defensive tackle position was. The Browns pulled their punches this past offseason with an eye toward 2023, adding Taven Bryan in free agency and Perrion Winfrey through the draft, They went in with a group of four players that hadn't proven a thing in the NFL.
That position group has completely undermined the defense and led to some of the worst run defense witnessed in the 21st century. The Browns have a number of talented players on the defense, but it's all for naught when they are consistently ceding the line of scrimmage the opponent.
The struggles on defense have revealed the character of the group on that side of the ball, which hasn't always been flattering. Some players may not be back as a result while others have shown that they deserve their place on the team and potentially warrant a larger role. One player that has made the best out of a bad situation is linebacker Sione Takitaki. He has played his best football this season and may end up with a new contract as a result.
Depending how the remainder of the season goes and how the defense finishes, the team may decide to replace defensive coordinator Joe Woods. Maybe it's warranted regardless of how little help he's been given on the defensive interior. If that is the choice they make, it's better to make that switch in a season when they weren't expected to compete rather than one they are.
But to entirely discount the season due to factors that were apparent before it ever began would ignore a number of positive developments that have occurred. For starters, the offense has been a pleasant surprise.
While climate and the location may have been factors in why quarterbacks like Wilson and Rodgers might have played a role, given the state of the offense at that time, it was difficult to blame them. Yes, the Browns had a strong offensive line and a great running back in Nick Chubb. However, the Browns had tight end David Njoku who was still more sizzle than steak. Wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones was an intriguing prospect, but was still a major question mark.
Even after the Browns acquired Amari Cooper for a fifth-round pick, it wasn't clear just how effective this offense could be. After all, the Browns have acquired a number of veteran receivers only to get underwhelming results.
Fortunately, Cooper proved to be a terrific fit and has shined as the team's top receiver. Njoku has been one of the best tight ends in the league this year and DPJ has found a role with room to potentially get even better. All of this has happened with a journeyman at quarterback in Jacoby Brissett. There is plenty of reason to believe they will only get better when Watson is on the field.
It was unfortunate for center Nick Harris to go down for season with a torn ACL. Fortunately, the Browns signed veteran Ethan Pocic who has filled in admirably. PFF has him as one of the top graded centers in the league and the Browns are going to have to decide whether or not to re-sign him. They have successfully navigated a difficult transition from five years of stellar play by J.C. Tretter.
They can only dream to have similar results likely moving from Jack Conklin to James Hudson III next season.
Defensively, there are more questions and uncertainty rather than positives, but nothing has been better on that side of the ball than the emergence of rookie corner Martin Emerson. Emerson has been good enough to lock down the job opposite Denzel Ward in defensive packages when the Browns use at least three corners. He brings physicality the Browns did not previously have at the position providing different ways to matchup against opponents with the ability to impact the run game.
Perhaps a victim of their own success, the arrival of Emerson has forced last year's first round pick Greg Newsome into an awkward transition. Newsome is talented, offering good size and speed with fluidity and body control. The Browns have him playing on the inside.
It's been a challenging move, which shouldn't come as a major surprise. Newsome enjoyed success as a rookie with a clearly defined role playing on the outside, a continuation from a position he's playing for years. The slot asks him to defend more possibilities from the opponent. The results have been inconsistent.
It's fair to question if the Browns overloaded him in year two. And if they didn't have Emerson, it might look like malpractice. However, if the Browns are right and Newsome's talent enables him to become a player akin to former Denver Broncos corner Chris Harris Jr., the payoff would be enormous. It can be more difficult to keep track of that position and provide more opportunities for Newsome to play the ball and punish opponents if they fail to account for him.
Even if the Browns replace the defensive staff, Newsome is still likely going to operate inside because they have nowhere else to put him short of an unexpected trade. If a clunky 2022 with a ton of reps season paves the way for a good 2023, it will have been worth it and the Browns would have a terrific set of corners all under contract for several years when they need it.
Safety Grant Delpit has not delivered on the immense promise he had coming off the second half of last year and a strong summer. After a rough first six games which culminated in a rock bottom performance against the Patriots, he has been able to bounce back.
Delpit has improved his tackling and become a productive run defender, doing an excellent job of playing downhill. He's been able to make stops at the line of scrimmage while cleaning up plays in space. His coverage is a roller coaster ride that must continue to improve, but he has turned in productive performances. The hope is he can build on what he's doing and have a similar finish to the year as in 2021.
Combined with the down year from Denzel Ward both in terms of his play on the field but also the concussion that kept him off of it as well as questions about how the Browns want to proceed with John Johnson III, it's another situation where it might be better to deal with this now rather than when they aspire to contend.
It's a similar situation with the defensive end position. The Browns will have to decide if want to re-sign Jadeveon Clowney despite his limited availability. Assuming Clowney continues to take less so he can play with Deshaun Watson, the deal may be too good for the Browns to let him walk.
Injuries have forced rookies Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas into larger roles than the team would have preferred. They aren't ready but can hopefully benefit from the experience so they are able to make meaningful contributions in the future. The Browns will likely need to continue to address the position this coming offseason as part of a mandate to compete at the lien of scrimmage.
The Browns may have some more issues to address than they might have hoped coming out of the 2022 season, but the biggest issues were the ones they knew they had coming in. So for a team with no real expectations, it's difficult for this to be a lost season.
If the Browns are sitting at 3-6 next year with Watson playing, it will be a lost season. The type of season the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders are experiencing this year. It'll far more than that as major consequences would come with such a disaster. It could also qualify if the Browns weren't making progress in areas but that simply is not the case. The offense is on solid ground and Watson has yet to play a down.
None of that makes the current Cleveland Browns season any less maddening or the wait for good football less taxing. It simply endeavors to put the disappointment into the proper context. It also illustrates the amount of pressure on the organization to deliver in the coming offseason.
