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From Top to Bottom, It's Been Difficult to Enjoy the Browns This Season

The Cleveland Browns have won four of their last five, including four at home. They are still alive for the playoffs, albeit barely. Nevertheless, this season has been incredibly difficult to enjoy anything about this season due to everything that has been going on with the team.
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Despite winning four of their last five games and winning their last four at home, there is little if anything resembling joy or satisfaction around the Cleveland Browns. Instead, there is focus on multiple reports about Odell Beckham, an accusation from Baker Mayfield and the fact that even though the Browns won, they didn't play particularly well. From ownership to the general manager to the head coach to the players, it's incredibly difficult to like this team this season.

With the exception of Nick Chubb and the win against the Baltimore Ravens on the road, which are the two elements of this team that are unassailable, there isn't anything else within this organization that doesn't have some level of disappointment attached to it, be it on the field or off.

The team is incredibly frustrating to watch in almost any game. Against a team that is trying to position itself for the #1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Mayfield and Beckham were dreadful against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns only had six penalties for 30 yards, but two of those penalties included an illegal shift on Jarvis Landry and a false start on Beckham, so it still had the feeling of dysfunction. These are inexcusable mistakes from players that know better. The Browns won and ultimately that's what matters, but it wasn't very productive.

The Browns beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in what should be a great moment in the season, but the game ends with the brawl, an embarrassment and a suspension for the team's biggest star, making it impossible to enjoy it.

The Browns beat the New York Jets, but didn't look good on offense doing it. They beat the Buffalo Bills, but so much of that game focused on the inability to score in the red zone. The win against the Miami Dolphins was pretty good, right? That's not even addressing the frustration of the losses.

The Browns had to waive a player because of failing drug tests, had to cut a player because he threatened fans and media. They are featuring Kareem Hunt, who is controversial because of his actions that led to his release from the Kansas City Chiefs. There's just very little about this season that is gratifying.

John Dorsey was hired and given a significant amount of control to make this organization run smoothly. To this point, it has been anything but. Freddie Kitchens has led the team to win four games out of five and feels no more established in his position. There are issues in the locker room that need to be resolved.

The hope this season was the Browns would be a contender, that they would be competing for a division title, learning what it would take to go further while being fun for fans after having to go through the 1-31 stretch to get here. Still technically alive for the playoffs, it's a season that is mired in disappointment and teachable moments. Now, it hasn't been boring, but it's been an ongoing process of people talking themselves into reason to believe that this team can figure it out after the latest obstacle.

The Browns do have the potential to bounce back and be a contender next season. The win in Baltimore demonstrated what's possible for this team. If they can have a productive offseason addressing the holes on their roster, they can be great next year. But they also have to address the organizational failings along the way, because consistently defeating teams like the Ravens and Steelers, who rarely deal with these issues, is difficult enough without simultaneously having to overcome the flaws in their franchise.