Thankfully, the Cleveland Browns' 2024 season has ended, capping off one of their most disappointing seasons in recent memory.
Going from a team that many expected to at least compete for a playoff spot to ending up with the second overall pick as a result of their 3-14 record is never a good sign for a team's immediate future, and more often than not, this usually leads to an organization cleaning house from top to bottom.
The Browns have decided to keep a fair amount of their staff intact, most notably Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry, and that means one thing and one thing only. They cannot afford to make any mistakes.
Why Cleveland cannot afford to fumble the 2025 offseason
Like it or not, this is Stefanski and Berry's last crack at this, and if they cannot get it right, they will be shown the door by the end of next season.
These two have had half a decade on the job and have been successful in only two of their five seasons, and while a .400 success rate gets you into the Hall of Fame in baseball, it usually results in termination in the NFL, and that is what is awaiting them if they continue to come up short.
This may all seem like an exaggeration of sorts, but if you do not believe that the pressure is on, the fact two players stated that their playing days in Cleveland could come to an end soon must be taken seriously. Myles Garrett floated out the idea of playing elsewhere, while Joel Bitonio publicly stated he would consider retirement.
Read more: 3 changes the Browns must make this offseason to avoid another disaster in 2025
If either were to take place, it would have catastrophic consequences on the foundation of this team and the trajectory of this team's competitive future. Granted, there is still plenty of time to work things out with both players, but this is still an alarming situation the Browns find themselves in.
The most important part of all this is how the Browns decide to approach the quarterback position. It was announced that Deshaun Watson suffered a setback in his recovery, resulting in an uncertain status for next season.
If Watson's playing days in Cleveland were not already over, they definitely are now. Watson was the worst quarterback in the league when available, and right now, it does not seem like he is going to be available any time soon.
This gives the Browns an opportunity to correct their previous mistake in acquiring Watson and begin the next era of quarterback play in Cleveland. Perhaps they could sign a veteran free agent and select a quarterback at some point in the upcoming draft, or they could look to acquire an intriguing young option via trade.
Whichever path they decide to take, it better be one that gets them back on track toward being a competitive team and not the rebuild that they seemed destined for during this past season.
At the end of the day, what this all comes down to is the coaching staff and front office making the smart, calculated decisions that they were supposed to be making this entire time. They have swung and missed far too often, putting them in a position where they must go on a flawless run of moves to just get back to being average.
Any misstep along the way could result in them being further away from contention than they already are, making it pretty much impossible for them to be relevant again for the foreseeable future. It may seem unreasonable, but the only ones at fault for the predicament they find themselves in are the front office and coaching staff, and it is on them to find a way out.