Browns regressing in 2024 is not as surprising as it seems

It has been a tough season for the Cleveland Browns. Coming into the season, there were playoff aspirations and even a little bit of hope they could capture their first division title in the AFC North era. Unfortunately, they came out of the gates completely flat, and having a 2-7 record midway through the year, it is clear that this team has regressed across the board. Some may be shocked at this development, but for anyone who has paid close attention, this is an expected development for a team that can't seem to get out of their own way.

The first sign that this season could go off the rails rather quickly was the continued failure of Deshaun Watson in Cleveland. Honestly, expecting Watson to be anything other than replacement level was the first mistake, as he is no longer the quarterback he was in Houston. Watson was one of, if not the worst, starting quarterback in the league before going down with another season-ending injury.

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With Watson in the lineup, the Browns were anemic offensively, showing few, if any, signs of hope. The only time the offense came to life was when Jameis Winston took over starting quarterback duties, leading the Browns to their best offensive showing all season. While it was short-lived, the instantaneous difference in offensive production with Winston was very reminiscent of when Joe Flacco came in off the street and guided Cleveland to the playoffs. There is one common factor in both scenarios and it is the offense being notably better without Watson.

Both sides of the ball are at fault

Only blaming the offense would be a colossal mistake here. Cleveland's defense has also been a disappointment, but again, the offense has done them zero favors in terms of keeping them off the field. Anyway, Cleveland's defense vastly over performed their talent level last season, leading to assumptions that this would continue in 2024.

The Browns are an average unit overall that benefitted from generating a lot of turnovers in 2023. Cleveland's 28 takeaways were tied for the fifth-most last season, while their five in 2024 are tied for dead last. Generating turnovers consistently on a year-over-year basis is difficult to do, and very few are actually able to accomplish that. This pendulum-like swing on the turnover front, combined with repeated blown assignments, is a death sentence for an average defensive unit like Cleveland's.

It was clear to those who paid attention that the warning signs were there, but very few wanted to acknowledge the possibility of this team leveling off and not being able to build off of last season's success. The outright optimism and complete refusal to realize that this could happen despite the obvious fact far too many were overrating this team's talent level and misplacing their faith in a quarterback who has been a complete disappointment since being acquired. So, for those people, yeah, 2-7 may be a shock, but not for anyone who saw this season playing out in this manner.

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