The Cleveland Browns, a factory of failure

By Trevor Speetzen October 25, 2024 09:13

Photo by AP Photo/ David J. Philip

In 1995, Art Modell moved the original Cleveland Browns to Baltimore and would eventually be called the Baltimore Ravens . However, the city of Cleveland maintained the rights to the team’s name and history.

In 1999, the Cleveland Browns returned to the NFL as an expansion franchise. Ever since their return, the Browns have only made the playoffs three times and their franchise is now known for its inconsistency, instability, losing culture and legacy of failure.

The recent situation with quarterback Deshaun Watson is just another cautionary tale of the Cleveland Browns. So, how did it get to this point? What does the future hold for Cleveland?

Since their rebirth, Cleveland has had many different starting quarterbacks and a litany of head coaches. The Browns have a tendency to “miss out” on quarterbacks in the NFL draft.

The Browns have missed out on quarterbacks such as Tim Couch, Brady Quinn, Brandon Weeden and Johnny Manziel. At the same time, Cleveland has gone through nine different head coaches.

The Browns hit a low point during the Hue Jackson era. During his time in Cleveland, Jackson went 3-36-1 and made it history in 2017 when the Browns became the second franchise in league history to go 0-16.

However in 2018, a sliver of hope was shown in Cleveland when the team fired Jackson and drafted Baker Mayfield with the first overall pick. Mayfield showed immense promise in 2018 and proved to be the quarterback that Cleveland was looking for.

Everything came together in 2020 when the Browns hired Kevan Stafanski as the team’s next head coach. That season the Browns finished with an 11-5 record, made the playoffs and won a playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

However in 2021, declining play and a deteriorating relationship between the Browns and Mayfield led to his eventual trade to the Carolina Panthers after the Browns acquired controversial quarterback Deshaun Watson.

The Browns extended Watson to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract. Since the signing, Watson has been incredibly inconsistent for the Browns.

His quarterback play is bad and he’s missed a lot of games due to injury and suspension. Watson missed most of the 2023 season due to a shoulder injury, backup QB Joe Flacco came in relief for Watson and led the team to the playoffs.

Watson returned in time for the 2024 season. Before his injury, the Browns were 1-5 and Watson was labeled as one of the worst QB’s in the league this season.

Despite the injury and inconsistent play, the Browns coaches and players are still behind their 230 million-dollar-man.

"I'm disappointed that it's only X number of games that he's able to play this season," Stefanski told espn.com. "But I do think we know what he's about. I know what he brings to the table for this football team."

So what does the future hold for Cleveland? How much longer is Deshaun Watson going to play for the Browns and will his play improve?

Jameis Winston has now taken over the starting duties in Cleveland. Star receiver Amari Cooper has been traded to Buffalo and tight end David Njoku is on the trading block.

Can Cleveland rebound and make the playoffs or are they already calling it a year?