With the Super Bowl behind us, teams are forced to move on from the 2022 season and look towards 2023. In a series of articles, we will recap the past season, and look at how teams are positioned at their skill positions for next September.
Cleveland Browns
Projected Cap Space: $21.02 Million
Upcoming Draft Picks: Round 2 (42nd), Round 3 (98th), Round 4 (111th, 126th), Round 5 (142nd, 144th), Round 6 (190th), Round 7 (231st)
The Cleveland Browns ended yet another season in the basement of a tough AFC North due to a mix of average quarterback play and a series of poor defensive performances. The Browns gave Deshaun Watson the most guaranteed money in league history after trading a treasure trove of picks to the Texans to acquire his services, then had to bank on career backup Jacoby Brissett to keep the ship afloat while Watson served his suspension.
Brissett was only able to manage 4 wins in 11 games, effectively ending the Browns chances at playoffs before Watson even stepped on the field. Watson restructured his contract recently, giving the Browns some essential cap space entering the offseason, which they have used to sign starting DT Dalvin Tomlinson and intriguing DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo to strengthen their defensive line.
Coaching:
Kevin Stefanski returns for his 4th season as head coach in Cleveland, sporting a 26-24 record across the previous 3 seasons. He has a history as an offensive coordinator, and there’s plenty of intrigue as to what he’ll be able to do with the Cleveland offense now that he finally has a franchise quarterback to work with.
During his tenure with the Browns, Stefanski has relied heavily on the run game, utilizing the two headed attack of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. His first couple of seasons were particularly impressive as he guided the offense to over 6,000 scrimmage yards per year, and he’ll look to surpass that mark in 2023.
Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, a former NFL quarterback, is also entering his 4th year in Cleveland and brings with him 18 years of football experience to go with his 9 seasons at QB. He’ll have the franchise’s first solid starting quarterback to work with since he joined the Browns, and will look to finally open up this offense. With the success in the run game Stefanski and Van Pelt have achieved, if they’re able to add in some semblance of a competent passing game, they could really surprise some people next season.
The Browns brought in one of their former scouts in veteran Jim Schwartz to be their new defensive coordinator. Schwartz, a former head coach himself, brings with him an impressive 27 seasons as a coach in the NFL, 15 of those as defensive coordinator. He has a Super Bowl ring from his time in Philadelphia, in a season where the Eagles led the league in rush defense at 79.2 yards per game.
The Browns weren’t a defensive force by any stretch of the imagination last year, but Schwartz clearly has the ear of management as they’ve signed star defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson and edge rusher Ogbonnia Okoronkwo to start free agency, helping to strengthen the trenches which is a common thread amongst Schwartz’s defenses. With his veteran leadership on the defensive side of the ball, look for the Browns, particularly Myles Garrett, to have career seasons.
Quarterbacks:
In a perfect world we wouldn’t have to talk about Deshaun Watson, but alas, here we are. The Browns are hoping that Watson used the final half of the 2022 season to shake off the rust after missing a season and a half due to his off field behaviours.
On the field, Watson can be an electric talent that can potentially turn a franchise around. He won rookie of the year in 2017 with the Houston Texans and followed that up with 3 straight pro bowl seasons, and the Browns are banking on him returning to that form in 2023. He only averaged 183 passing yards in the 6 games he played, with 7 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, so there’s lots of room for improvement entering year 2 in Cleveland.
The Browns have hitched their wagon to the resurgence of Watson, not only sending the Texans a package that included three 1st round picks, but then signing Watson to a massive 5 year fully guaranteed deal. While Watson has already restructured that deal, creating additional cap space for the organization, his contract will be a hindrance for management going forward. This type of move is Super Bowl or bust, and we’ve yet to see Watson show that type of ability thus far in Cleveland.
23 year old 3rd round pick Kellen Mond looks to be the backup to Watson entering the 2023 season, as 2022 starter Jacoby Brissett recently signed with the Washington Commanders. Mond has the tools and athleticism to be a dual threat QB, and it’s possible that the Browns use him in certain packages this season. But if he’s playing significant snaps for the Cleveland offense, then things have truly gone off the rails.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends:
Amari Cooper had a successful first season in Cleveland, gaining 1,160 yards receiving and setting a new career high with 9 touchdowns. In his 7 years in the league, Cooper has never played in less than 14 games or caught less than 5 touchdowns.
After coming over from Dallas in a contract dump, the Browns have to be pleased with how their new #1 receiver has fit in with the organization. Cooper brings with him a massive cap hit, but that deal is set to expire after 2 more seasons when he turns 30 years old, so the Browns will enjoy a couple more seasons of his play before finding a younger upgrade. He’s an elite route runner which will help him extend his career as he ages. His play in 2022 went a long way towards silencing the critics who said he wasn’t still a #1 receiver in the NFL.
After Cooper, the depth chart lacks game changing talents, despite every single one of their receivers returning in 2023. Second on the depth chart would be Donovan Peoples-Jones, a 2020 6th round pick. Jones played every game this past season, a first in his 3 year career, and finished with 839 yards but only found the end zone 3 times. His yards per reception was also down in 2022 as he was likely a victim of poor quarterback play. Peoples-Jones is a nice receiver to have on the roster, especially considering he took over some punt returner duties as well this season, and has shown improvement every year since he was drafted. That being said, he would likely be slotted in as the #3 or #4 receiver on a contender.
Behind Cooper and Peoples-Jones is a collection of unknowns. The team drafted David Bell at the end of the third round in 2022 after he fell due to a poor combine showing. While worth the risk, he didn’t show much on the field that would lead anyone to believe he’s ready to take on a larger role at this point of his career. He needs to spend this offseason working on creating separation, and will hope to get off to a better start in 2023.
Anthony Schwartz is someone the team was clearly trying to get involved in the offense early in the season, working him into jet sweeps and giving him the ball in space. Despite his high level athleticism, he was unable to consistently get open, and struggles with drops. He finished the season with 4 catches for 51 yards, so he’ll need a strong camp and preseason to remain on the active roster in 2023.
Michael Woods II might be someone to watch for the Browns faithful as he impressed with his route running and acceleration at off-season workouts and training camp. His season was unfortunately hampered by injuries, so he was never really able to get things rolling, but did show consistency in his limited availability.
The Browns don’t have a whole lot of options to improve the wide receiver group, and there’s unlikely to be a game changer left in the draft when they make their first selection in the 2nd round. Finding a veteran in free agency to pair with Cooper, like Adam Thielen, would really solidify this group and buy the Browns a couple more years to find young talent.
At tight end, the Browns have committed long term to 2017 1st round pick David Njoku, signing him to a 4 year contract worth $54.75 million, with $28 million guaranteed. That’s quite the contract for a player who’s career high in receiving yards is 639, a number he reached in his 2nd season in the NFL.
Granted, he started the 2022 season off hot, and was among the league leaders in receptions and receiving yards by a tight end before missing a couple of games due to injury. When he came back, he never looked fully comfortable, and rumours of his discontent surfaced yet again near the end of the campaign. He’ll have to come out strong after this offseason, as he now finally has a franchise quarterback to go with his massive deal.
Behind Njoku, Harrison Bryant got an opportunity to step up after the team released Austin Hooper, and he didn’t do much to make the most of that opportunity. He struggled all season to create separation, averaging only 3.6 yards after the catch. He graded out as just an average blocker, leading many to believe the Browns will be looking for an upgrade at the position this offseason.
Pharaoh Brown was the third stringer, and did nothing to prove that he’s earned an elevated role in the offense. He struggled with drops as well as blocking, so letting him walk in free agency seems like the most likely scenario.
Running Backs:
The Browns have had the pleasure of rolling out their two headed monster of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt for the past 4 seasons, as they’ve created one of the most dangerous rushing attacks in the league. Chubb, the 2018 2nd rounder, has rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of the past 4 seasons, and set career highs in 2022 with 1,525 yards and 12 touchdowns. Chubb ranks first in all qualifying backs per PFF in rushing grade (93.1), yards after contact per rush (4.1) , and forced missed tackles per rushing attempt (0.25). He is a surefire #1 back that has had the luxury of limiting his workload with Hunt behind him, but will now take on a greater role while Hunt looks for a #1 position himself in free agency.
Along with Hunt, the Browns also seem to be losing solid 3-stringer D’Ernest Johnson to free agency, who stepped up in 2021 when both Chubb and Hunt were injured, but didn’t see much of the field in 2022. Chubb has already taken control of the backfield in Cleveland, and while they’ll be on the lookout for some qualified backups this offseason, expect Chubb to top his career highs for carries in 2023.
Offensive Line:
The Browns offensive line regressed in 2021, but bounced back in 2022. Starting center Ethan Pocic has reportedly agreed to a 4 year extension with the club, which ensures that the unit will be returning in full for the 2023 campaign. Pocic would have been a major loss, as he was PFF’s #3 overall rated center, and looks to build more chemistry with Deshaun Watson this season.
Not to be outdone, standout guard Joel Bitonio came in as the 2nd best guard, per PFF, and only allowed one sack the entire season. The Browns will have to make a decision on Jederick Willis’s 5th year contract, but they also have guard Wyatt Teller and tackle Jack Conklin locked up for a few more seasons, ensuring the group will continue to open up running lanes for Chubb and protect their new franchise quarterback. The unit has been a massive factor in Nick Chubb’s success over the past few season, and having them back together for 2023 will be crucial for the Browns to try and make a playoff run.
Defense:
The Browns are clearly looking to build their defense from the trenches out, pairing their elite pass rusher Myles Garrett, who finished the season as PFF’s #1 ranked edge defender, with their new signing Dalvin Tomlinson at defensive tackle. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo has yet to put up major sack numbers, but has had a solid win rate in 2022 with the Tennessee Titans, and has the potential to break out this season as defenses are focussed on trying to stop Garrett.
Parting ways with Clowney was overdue as he was just simply not fitting into the Browns defensive scheme. He only managed to register 2 sacks this past season after notching 9 in 2021, and the writing seemed to be on the wall that the Browns would be moving on from Clowney after signing him to just a 1 year deal in 2022. The club designating him a healthy scratch in week 18 after he aired his grievances publicly about the Browns organization was likely the final nail in the coffin.
The Brown’s linebacking core is hard to judge after the group suffered a myriad of injuries in 2022. Fan favorite Sione Takitaki hopes to return as he recovers from a torn ACL, while 2nd year linebacker Jeremiah Owuso-Koramoah also ended the season on IR after increasing his workload week by week. There’s young talent within the group, they just need to hope for better luck on the injury front before they start making a true impact.
In the defensive backfield, Denzel Ward needs to step up to prove that he’s worthy of his large incoming cap hit. 2022 was his lowest rated season since he entered the league, and at times looked to be passed by 2022 pick Martin Emerson and 2021 selection Greg Newsome. The Browns should be happy with their recent draft investments in the backfield, and if Ward can return to form, they’ll make a devastating shutdown group in Cleveland. Grant Delpit is another player that hasn’t lived up to his draft expectations, but was healthy for 2022 and improved his tackle rate, so there’s promise there as well.
At the end of the day, the Browns 2023 season, and beyond, is heavily linked to the performance of their quarterback. With a cap hit that only grows year after year, and no easy way to cut bait, the Browns have put all their eggs in Watson’s basket.
With no first round pick until 2025, they’ll have to find some lower cost veterans to patch up any impending roster holes, particularly at wide receiver, if they hope to become serious contenders. After years of front office ineptitude, it’s hard to believe that this organization has properly turned the corner and will finally emerge from the basement of the AFC North. Time will tell.
-Devon Gallant
Twitter: @DevGallant
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.