LAS COLINAS, Texas — Cleveland Browns proprietor Jimmy Haslam stated he’s perplexed by his staff’s 3-10 file however will consider its efficiency in totality after the season — together with the outlook at quarterback.
He additionally expressed help for coach Kevin Stefanski and common supervisor Andrew Berry.
“We went from 11-6 and making the playoffs to 3-10, so it is a bit perplexing what occurred,” Haslam informed ESPN as he departed the NFL house owners conferences Wednesday.
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Requested whether or not he has the proper gamers in place with Stefanski and Berry, Haslam added: “I do. We do. We’re very supportive.”
Berry and Stefanski signed contract extensions earlier than the 2024 season and have made the playoffs collectively in 2020 and 2023.
The first difficulty for Cleveland is the quarterback place. Deshaun Watson is owed $92 million in assured cash over the following two years. He has struggled with accidents and poor play because the staff acquired him from the Houston Texans after which signed him to a then-record deal in 2022. He is at the moment rehabbing an Achilles tear suffered in Week 7.
Chopping Watson would set off useless wage cap hits effectively above $100 million.
Jameis Winston has supplied a spark with Watson sidelined, surpassing 300 passing yards in three of his six begins, however the Browns are 2-4 throughout that stretch.
Requested concerning the outlook of the quarterback place, Haslam stated it is too early to make any choices.
“We have to get via the season and we are going to have a look at every part,” he informed ESPN.
The Browns are slated to have a top-10 choose within the NFL draft — their first choice within the first spherical since 2021 — which they may use on a quarterback. Signing a veteran signal-caller can also be an possibility.
However the staff’s points this season transcend the quarterback.
Final 12 months’s first-ranked complete protection below coordinator Jim Schwartz has fallen to twenty first total this 12 months. A once-elite speeding assault has fallen to thirtieth.
Whereas Haslam stated the Browns have “loads of wants as a staff” and might want to prioritize them, he acknowledges the staff has sufficient expertise to keep away from a full-scale rebuild.
“We’re all dissatisfied,” he stated. “We have got loads of work to do. We’ll return and go to work.
“I’ve discovered to not get too emotional through the season. We are going to sit down after the season, undergo every part for subsequent 12 months.”
The Browns’ remaining schedule contains the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs at house Sunday, on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16, the Miami Dolphins at house in Week 17 and on the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18.
