The Cleveland Browns are the definition of being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
They're on their way to a potential 3-14 season in which they missed the postseason, lost their starting quarterback to injury, had to bench their backup quarterback because of poor play, and saw another injury happen to their former star running back.
But, to fix those problems ahead of 2025 is impossible without hitting on every single drafted player in 2025. They have essentially no cap space to work with because of Deshaun Watson, need to negotiate a new deal with Nick Chubb, and also need to assess what their greatest needs in the draft are with their projected top-5 pick.
So, again, rock and hard place - rock being cap space, and hard place being so many needs to fix the team.
This was an avoidable mess, and it's just one of many lessons the Browns should be taking away from the 2024 season as they approach a long offseason.
Learn to pull your starters faster - even if they're your starting QB
Cleveland is stuck with Watson, whether that's just in money alone or with playing him next season is hard to say or specify. The team is willing to have him come back and compete for a starting job, which signals that they're not convinced of his ability to just swoop back in and take the job once again from whoever else is competing for the spot.
But, this argument about Watson and whether he warrants another year - he doesn't - could've been avoided had the team had the gumption to pull him as a starter when it was obvious he was struggling deeply with playing even the simplest of downs. Cleveland's one win against the New York Giants bought him time, and that shouldn't have been the case.
Read more: Browns appear willing to accept mediocrity by running it back next season
Players like Watson, Jameis Winston, or even Nick Chubb needed to be pulled a lot quicker than they were when it was obvious they had lost their way. Next season, hopefully, the Browns have learned to take that initiative and don't wait for another catastrophic injury to do so. Depending on who they grab to act as a bridge quarterback and potential new replacement for Watson, they won't need to.
Honorable mention for this lesson: never trade away multiple first round picks and dole out the biggest non-guaranteed contract in NFL history to a player who had never proven he could be a consistent winner in the league.
It's nice to have first round talent
The Browns haven't had a first round pick since 2021, and they used it to take Greg Newsome II - a starter this season before being placed on the IR. Jedrick Wills Jr. was their first round pick in 2020, but of course that hasn't panned out. The two names that really prove how big first rounders are, though, are Baker Mayfield and Myles Garrett.
Taken in 2017 and 2018, Garrett and Mayfield made immediate impacts on the Browns in their respective positions. Mayfield just wasn't given time to recover from his shoulder injury, but he's flourishing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while Garrett is just one sack away from 100 in his career. One franchise cornerstone and one player Browns fans will always wonder "what if?," about.
Cleveland has had a clear talent gap on its roster because of the Watson trade. Since 2021, the players of note they've drafted are Jerome Ford, Dawand Jones, Cedric Tillman and Isaiah McGuire. They've gotten better with evaluating talent since hiring Andrew Berry in 2020, but they need to absolutely hit on their draft in 2025 to set themselves up for a much better season.
Cleveland has their WR1
Jerry Jeudy has been one of the biggest bright spots of the season for the Browns. If you look around the internet, you'll find folks crunching numbers on how his season would have looked had the team played Winston all year, or just any competent quarterback all season. Even without that help, Jeudy hit 1,000 receiving yards in Week 15 - his first 1,000 receiving season of his career.
The former Denver Bronco and first round pick from 2020 has simply needed a better opportunity to showcase his talent, and with Cleveland's struggles, he's completely shown out. And, it doesn't feel like a fluke - so many of his catches are routine, but it's his athleticism and YAC that have made him so invaluable to this offense.
If there's one part of the offense the Browns can take away from this season, it's that Jeudy is their future. They don't necessarily need to hit on a wide receiver in the draft - although one more athlete to slot alongside Jeudy and Tillman would be nice - because of his breakout.
The Browns have a running back issue - the draft is their solution
Chubb was taken in the second round of the draft back in 2018. Ford was taken in the fifth round of 2022's draft. Even the New York Jets' best running back, Breece Hall, was taken in the second round.
The Browns also were among the last teams in rushing yards per game - 92.1 per game, which is good for 29th in the league through Week 15.
We're laying all of this out to say, Cleveland very obviously needs to draft a running back to help Chubb and Ford next season. Chubb, who is now going to be working back from multiple knee surgeries and a broken foot, and Ford, who has proven he can be an explosive but inconsistent back, were two non-first round talents that are still helpful to the Browns' offense. But, they need help.
Fans might be clamoring for Ashton Jeanty out of Boise State, and that's valid - running back talent, when at his level, is game changing and team changing. The Browns could be like the Philadelphia Eagles or Baltimore Ravens with weapons downfield but a running back that can break a game open entirely with one or two plays.
But, Cleveland can also be patient and draft in the later rounds and find talent for their running back room that's just as game altering. They certaintly can't afford any free agents next season, so finding a young back who can start on day one will be big for their trajectory. That, and of course, drafting better offensive linemen to help with run blocking.