At 3-8 and residing in the familiar place that is the basement of the AFC North, the Cleveland Browns are, yet again, in the midst of an uncompetitive season. It would be one thing if this was a brand new regime who are trying to find its way out of being irrelevant, but this is year five for the Kevin Stefanski-Andrew Berry-Paul DePodesta "brain trust" and there needs to be consequences for their collective failure.
Many expected this team to be considered a Super Bowl contender, fielding a team with the most expensive offense in football. Failure was not an option, and there was somewhat of an understanding that jobs were on the line if they were unable to right the ship. Unfortunately, it seems like the Browns are going to keep their employment intact despite this season being a complete trainwreck.
While plenty will point to the offensive turnaround and two wins with Jameis Winston taking over for an injured Deshaun Watson at quarterback, it must be acknowledged that this would not have happened unless their hands were forced one way or the other. Watson going down with a season-ending injury for the second straight year was that force.
The organization made themselves clear time and time again that they believed it was Watson who gave them the best chance to win, even though he has been the worst quarterback in the league. Coming to this conclusion despite Watson's lack of effectiveness is a clear talent misevaluation of epic proportions that should result in their termination, but for some reason, it won't.
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The Browns are five years into this regime running the show, and they have experienced some moderate success, but they have not been able to get to the next level they hoped for once the decision to pursue and subsequently acquire Watson was made.
This was an acquisition meant to propel the Browns to legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and instead, they are much worse when he takes the field. This is the trademark pattern of a transaction that has not worked out for anyone and should be taken into consideration when evaluating how the organization will move forward.
Jimmy Haslam must draw a line in the sand with only a few games remaining this season
From an ownership perspective, it is somewhat impressive that Jimmy Haslam has been able to keep himself from meddling with Cleveland's football operations, credit where credit is due, however, the Browns need him to embrace his inner Jerry Jones right now and act like the football-knowing overlord they truly need right now.
Putting his foot down and making people accountable for what has taken place is an absolute must rather than allowing the current group to continue putting up unacceptable results.
If there are no changes made after this substandard campaign, it will be a mistake that this team will have a hard time coming back from. There is still enough of a foundation in place that if the right moves are made by the right people, it can lead to a bounce-back happening as soon as next season.
But at this point, the group of Stefanski, Berry, and DePodesta have proven that they are not the right hands, and it seems like the only way for this franchise to become actually competitive again is with a whole new group in place. Allowing this group to come out the other end of an awful season of their own creation unscathed is a complete disservice to fans and players alike.
They need to know their jobs are on the line due to their collective failure and should not in any way expect to be back, given how things have unfolded this season.