CLEVELAND — Blow it up. Blow them all up. Set the wreckage on fire, dump it into Lake Erie, and let it float to Pelee Island or Buffalo or anywhere in between. The NFL’s list of the most expensive wrecks follows other famous wrecks that can only be accessed with flippers and oxygen tanks.
Traded Za’Darius Smith, Dalvin Tomlinson and Jed Wells. Cold calling contenders looking for a backup quarterback and sending them Jameis Winston at market value (which won’t be much). Elijah Moore could go with him.
I’m not sure anyone here is ready to have a conversation with Nick Chubb, but I also don’t believe he’ll bring much value.
The bigger point is that any player not signed to a contract at the end of this season is free to leave, because come January this thing will become so corrosive that no one will be able to survive.
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The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday. By Wednesday, when general manager Andrew Berry has what is sure to be an awkward conversation with reporters during his bye week, the roster should look much different.
This will be the Cleveland Browns version of a Presidents Day mattress sale. Buy now, pay later. Zero-interest financing on approved credit.
When the Los Angeles Chargers lost 27-10 to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, some players left the locker room with zombie eyes, wondering how they got here or what was going to happen next.
“I’ve never been in this situation,” one veteran said as he walked out of the locker room. “I’ve never been in a situation where the season was over before the bye week.”
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A week off is never a bad thing in the NFL, but the Browns need to be away from each other and clean up heading into the break. Exfoliate. Maybe make a good foot scrub.
The Browns spent $337 million in cash on this roster, $15 million more than any other team in the league. Not only is this the most expensive roster, it’s also the most expensive roster in NFL history.
They have two wins.
Last year, they fought through incredible injuries and adversity to make the playoffs, and they destroyed the offense and offensive coaching staff.
They have two wins.
Firing Alex Van Pelt as offensive coordinator was obviously a huge mistake. Bill Callahan probably paid the price, too. Whatever this was, its design and installation were a disaster.
The Deshaun Watson trade destroyed this team. There is no other way to frame it. Off-the-field baggage aside, Watson appeared to be the better quarterback at the time of the deal. But things didn’t work out that way. The money they paid him, the still-looming future cap hit, the trade capital they sent to Houston, and Watson’s inability to perform and stay healthy all close a competitive window that almost never opens.
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The Browns endured two full seasons of downturns in 2016 and 2017, but won just one playoff game in the ensuing seven years. It’s all over now.
Joel Bitonio has one year left on his contract, but he just turned 33. Myles Garrett still has two years left. When will he go upstairs to ask out?
Chubb is entering the final year of his contract. Honestly, how much does he have left? How much patience does he have for an organization that wasted the career of one of the best running backs in franchise history?
The entire offensive line may need to be rebuilt. Those due to ship on Tuesday will need replacements.
Even though Watson’s total cap hit is still over $170 million, it all has to be done. If there’s a worse combination of roster projections and future cap tables anywhere in the sports world, I can’t find it.
Winston threw interceptions all over the field on Sunday, the secondary couldn’t do simple things like properly communicate coverage, and the special teams was a particular disaster. An interception of a kick is allowed. Huge returns are forgone.
Jameis Winston Today
16-31 days
0 by TD
3 intelligence
24.5 by rating pic.twitter.com/ytYWdg8XgX— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) November 3, 2024
A few weeks ago, the Browns were leaning toward Dorian Thompson-Robinson. His promotion from scout team quarterback to backup — though no one was willing to tell him that — should last more than a week. Then Thompson-Robinson injured his finger, and the Browns probably thought they owed the veteran a thank you for getting Winston on the field.
Well, not much fun now. Garrett said it’s still possible for the Browns to win and go 10-7, which is what leaders should be saying from the podium. The season is over and the players know it.
This is pretty much the most Jameis Winston drama ever pic.twitter.com/YopGOhepmh
– Football Digest (@FootballDigest) November 3, 2024
Thompson-Robinson may not be the answer. He was too small to stay healthy. But after his bye week, whether Winston is still here or not, his best time is on the road against an equally bad New Orleans Saints team.
Either DTR surprises everyone, or, more likely, the Browns will draft another quarterback in March and start the miserable process all over again.
As for the fate of the front office and coaching staff, anything is possible at this point. No one is safe. I think last year tested Kevin Stefanski’s mettle and his ability to lead the team through the injury storm. He thrived in that moment. This is a completely different challenge. Players have nothing left to play for except tape and their next contract.
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When the defenses were introduced before the game, Smith jogged out of the tunnel wearing No. 99 and blew a kiss to the crowd. If this is his last day in a Browns uniform, it’s his farewell.
Who else will join him?
(Photo of Jameis Winston: Jason Miller/Getty Images)
