We are 3 weeks into the NFL season and it feels like the world is already crashing down for the Cleveland Browns, particularly on offense. There are loads of issues and everyone is curious… how fixable are they? It is a valid question, and one that they must figure out fast before the season slips away.
The Browns sit at 1–2, coming off an incredibly disappointing loss at home to the New York Giants. The offense, defense, and special teams all struggled. But overall, the offense was the main issue and it has been all season. It seems as if they can’t stretch the field at all due to a poor/injured offensive line and Deshaun Watson not seeing the field well. In addition to those issues, the wide receivers have been struggling with drops, separation, and speed. We are one of the worst in the NFL at converting on third down. We lead the league in penalites. Watson has been sacked and hit more than any other QB in the league. We have no running game at all. The list goes on and on, honestly. It appears the new offensive scheme with OC Ken Dorsey doesn’t mesh well so far either.
There are a few issues that feel possibly fixable, and a few that feel like they’ll never get fixed. The most obvious one that can get fixed is the offensive line. There are key injuries to Wyatt Teller, Jedrick Wills, and Jack Conklin. Even with that, sometimes an O-Line can start off rocky, but then they shuffle things around and find a combination that is serviceable. We could see a line that has Joel Bitonio at LT, Ethan Pocic at LG, Nick Harris at Center, Zak Zinter at RG, and Jack Conklin at RT. It sounds weird at first, but that combo could work and fix some issues. I don’t think the line can be good this year, but serviceable is better than the atrocious display we’ve seen so far.
Another fixable issue is cleaning up all the penalties. You simply cannot move down the field if you’re constantly in 1st and 15 or 2nd and 20. Luckily Kevin Stefanski can coach the team up to cut down on those penalties. If they do that, that could be the difference in games as well.
There are a few big things that do not feel fixable at this point. One of them is something that no one really wants to talk about, but I will just say it. It is quite possible at this point that Kevin Stefanski and Deshaun Watson just aren’t a good offensive fit. It hasn’t looked right in three years. The only time it has looked great was when Joe Flacco signed to the team and Stefanski could run the zone/play action under center offense that he likes. Watson just is not that type of QB, and it hasn’t meshed well since Watson got to Cleveland. Not sure if that is fixable, and time is quickly running out for them to make it work.
Unless Stefanski says screw it, we’re going back to what works and what I like… I’m not sure if this new offense him and Ken Dorsey installed in the offseason is fixable. It looks bland and ineffective so far this season. The Browns quite literally have the worst offense in the NFL, and it really makes you wonder why they moved on from Alex Van Pelt in the first place. Maybe something will change with better offensive line play, but as of now the scheme leaves a lot to be desired.
Deshaun Watson might just be cooked at this point as well, and that has not felt fixable in years. There have been flashes of his old self, sure. It is not all his fault either. But he does not look or perform like an elite QB anymore. He fails to make reads, get rid of the ball when he is supposed to, and it leads to even more sacks and hits. A lot of this is like a domino effect, really. Bad QB play, leading to even worse offensive line play, wide receivers who can’t consistently catch or get open, and in turn making the Browns pass twice as much as run the ball. When you become that predictable and one dimensional, defenses will just eat you alive.
This season has not been fun at all. I think there is a 40/60 chance the Browns fix a lot of these issues and perform like a playoff team. It is just hard to be optimistic right now. After saying all of this, I only have one other thing to say…..
Save us Nick Chubb, save us.
