During his postgame press conference on Sunday, Todd Monken repeatedly told reporters that his young Cleveland Browns team had earned the right to be 5-3. It was an interesting message coming off a game in which the Browns were thoroughly handled by the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-6, with sole possession of first place in the AFC North on the line.
Monken is clearly urging patience and perspective after what was a demoralizing defeat. The NFL is a week-to-week league. A road win over the New Orleans Saints next weekend would simmer some of the noise around the Browns right now.
The next-day reactions were about how you’d expect. The Browns tumbled from No. 10 to No. 16 in FanSided’s weekly NFL power rankings. National writer Jack Beckman, meanwhile, pointed to a “big-boy running back” as Cleveland’s top need with the NFL trade deadline approaching on Nov. 10.
The Browns only rushed for 34 yards as a team against the Steelers, and although he’s been more productive as of late, Quinshon Judkins is averaging just 3.4 yards per carry on the season.
Beckman believes an upgrade — hinting at a major move like Jonathan Taylor, perhaps? — is in order.
“The Browns offense is lacking a couple of things: a consistent passing game, and an in-your-face running game that needs to be respected between the tackles,” Beckman wrote. “They don’t have any choice but to stick with Deshaun Watson right now, so the former isn’t going to change. But there are a handful of meaty, downhill-type running backs who could be available to help out the latter.
“Cleveland has a whole bunch of draft picks over the next couple of seasons to play with, so they definitely have the means to make a decently splashy move for a guy who’s not on an expiring contract. That’d be fun, right?”
The Browns should definitely be looking to add at this year’s trade deadline with the AFC North currently up for grabs.
Running back? That certainly wouldn’t top our preferred list of needs. Not even close.
The Browns should be prioritizing their struggling rush defense at this year’s trade deadline
Cleveland’s front seven is stacked with playmakers. The Browns have elite speed at the linebacker position with Carson Schwesinger and Quincy Williams. They have some of the NFL’s most efficient interior pass rushers in Maliek Collins and Mason Graham.
What they do not have right now is a true run-stuffing defensive lineman, and that’s been showing up on the field as of late.
The Browns have tumbled to 22nd in the NFL in opponent EPA per rush attempt, per SumerSports. They’ve allowed 4.7 yards per rush attempt, which ranks 25th in the league entering Week 9.
A lack of consistency and rhythm on offense has impacted the Browns’ rushing attack this season. Judkins has found some success in games with more positive game scripts, like Week 3 against the Panthers and Week 7 against the Titans.
Those were Judkins’ two best rushing outputs of the season. He turned a combined 35 attempts into 166 yards, and the Browns won both of those games.
It’s the other side of the ball that’s become a major concern. The Browns have now allowed a 100-yard rusher in three consecutive games. They’ve allowed a running back to gain 80-plus yards in every game but the opener, when the Jaguars led 28-0 in the second quarter and began divvying up carries in the second half.
A run-stuffing defensive tackle should be at the top of Andrew Berry's wish list
Sure, adding an offensive playmaker with the clout of Jonathan Taylor would be fun for Browns fans at the trade deadline. You know what would be better? Adding a mauling nose tackle like Tampa Bay’s Vita Vea.
Fellow Buccaneers veteran A’Shawn Robinson was also floated as a potential deadline candidate for contending teams, with ESPN’s Matt Bowen labeling him “a powerful run defender who can play as a 1-technique nose or 3-technique defensive tackle.”
That’s the top need right now. The Browns could use help for a defensive line that’s been depleted by injuries and clearly lacks a true nose tackle. They could also use more physicality in the run game on offense with a more traditional inline blocking tight end.
The Browns already have a cost-controlled running back tandem in Judkins and Dylan Sampson that should only continue to improve and evolve within their young offense. What the team really needs is more force for the running game on both sides of the ball — blocking and gap-stuffing — to make a serious push for a playoff berth in the second half of the year.
Add us as a preferred source on Google