Rival Report: Browns quietly go undefeated during preseason

Records don’t mean anything in the preseason, but for a franchise which only won a single game in 2016, going an unbeaten 4-0 during exhibition games could indicate that the Cleveland Browns have turned the corner of their decade-long rebuilding mode.

This was the first time Cleveland has gone unbeaten in a preseason since 1986: they re-entered the NFL in 1999 after a three-year sabbatical when the original Browns moved to and were renamed the Baltimore Ravens. Since then, the team has made the postseason once, in 2002 (losing in a Wild Card game against the Steelers).

The Browns haven’t had a winning season since 2007, and haven’t won a playoff game since the year before they left for Baltimore, in 1994, when current New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was in charge.

Hoping to right the ship, the team has made constant moves with their roster, coaching staff, and front office, all failed attempts to revive a struggling franchise, which only has two winning seasons since ’99 (the aforementioned 2002 and 2007 campaigns).

A variety of moves this offseason appear to get Cleveland prepped for another rebound year. Here’s what they’ve been up to since the last time we reviewed their franchise.

Browns cut Brock

You might be hard-pressed to find a more bizarre storyline from this year’s offseason than the saga of Brock Osweiler. A highly sought after quarterback during last year’s free agency period, Brock signed with the Houston Texans but was quickly shipped to Cleveland, with a second round draft pick, during this year’s free agency period.

Osweiler’s struggles in Houston made him expendable, and the Browns were more than willing to help the Texans in a salary dump move, by taking on the QB’s $16 million salary for 2017 in exchange for a future draft pick.

Essentially, the move gave Cleveland a few benefits: Brock could compete to start at an unproven position, the Browns gained an extra draft choice, and the team met their minimum salary cap spending threshold.

However, Osweiler failed to find a rhythm with Hue Jackson’s team. Rookie Deshone Kizer was named the regular season starter ahead of Cleveland’s final preseason game, with Brock being released shortly thereafter.

Joe Haden release

The Browns made more headlines when they released long-time and former Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden ahead of Saturday’s roster cuts. The move was made to get away from Haden’s future contract guarantees, but afforded their division rival, Pittsburgh, to pickup a thought to be solid player at a position of need.

We can’t predict the future, but if Haden strengthens the Steelers while weakening the Browns, this could be one of many other head-scratching moves the team has made in recent years.

Sammie Coates trade

Previously we had mentioned that the Browns had six wide receivers who had two or less NFL seasons under their belt. Three of them appeared to be contenders for the starting slot position, but only Ricardo Lous remained following Saturday’s roster moves.

Hurting for depth at the position, Cleveland traded a pick they acquired from Pittsburgh last year for CB Justin Gilbert, back to the Steelers in exchange for Steelers WR Sammie Coates.

Coates, a third-year receiver out of Auburn, struggled with injuries mid-season and throughout training camp. Finding himself in a loaded receiver room in Pittsburgh, the Steelers sent him to their division rival for their original sixth-round choice.

A fast route runner with a reputation for dropping easy passes, Coates Should immediately find time with a Cleveland position group headlined by former Titans and Rams wide receiver Kenny Britt, and second-year man Corey Coleman.

Draft picks and young kids

As noted above, the Browns are loaded with young and/or incoming players who haven’t been around the franchise long. Many moves were made to change the culture in Cleveland, with exception of their long-time Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas, who answered Aditi’s inquiry:

The Browns already find themselves with 13 draft picks next year, after a series of trades that have accumulated selections over the last few seasons. They have traded up and down in recent drafts, traded players back and forth, and signed a handful of free agents to attempt to bolster their offensive line and several other positions.

All of the moves lie in the hands of second-year coach Hue Jackson, who will attempt to give another first-year quarterback (Kizer) the starting job after USC QB Cody Kessler failed to impress in 2016.

Whether or not the moves pay off early for Cleveland is yet to be seen. However, if the jostling of their roster doesn’t work this season, we’ll find out if Jackson retains his job and gets another shot at replacing positions of weakness with another pick-heavy draft in 2018.


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