Dawgs By Nature
Was it the losing season? Or a sign that the roster may not be as talented as previously believed?
As the NFL offseason slowly moves toward the start of the new league year in March, the Cleveland Browns have a lengthy checklist to get through.
The top of the list is the 2025 NFL Draft, where the Browns hold the No. 2 overall selection, one selection in the second round, and two in the third round as part of their nine overall picks. That puts the Browns in prime position to select a quarterback with their first pick if they find an option they like.
Free agency begins in mid-March, with a two-day negotiating period from March 10 to 12. The new league year officially begins on March 12 at 4 p.m., when teams can begin signing free agents and trading players.
That last part is a big one, as general manager Andrew Berry has to decide whether a few key additions are enough to get the Browns back to the playoffs or whether it is time to once again hit the reset button.
Much of what the team does will revolve around defensive end Myles Garrett, who went public in February with his desire to be traded after eight years with the Browns. If a reset is the plan, keeping Garrett is a no-brainer. If it is rebuilding time, Berry has to make the best deal possible for the Browns and not necessarily Garrett to help accelerate the process.
While the idea of once again taking a step or two backward to eventually move forward is hard for fans to stomach, the current roster may not be as flush with talent as it appears, at least going by Pro Football Focus’ list of the Top 101 players from the 2024 season.
Garrett checks in at No. 2 on the list, a full seven spots ahead of T.J. Watt from the Pittsburgh Steelers and behind only Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, which is nice, with PFF noting that:
Garrett led all defensive linemen who played at least 300 snaps with a 92.3 overall grade and a 92.8 pass-rush grade. This was his fourth consecutive season with at least a 92.0 overall grade. He tied division rival Trey Hendrickson for the most regular season pressures with 83 and recorded an incredible 23.1% pass-rush win rate. Garrett’s resumé speaks for itself at this point. No matter where he plays next season, he can be expected to record elite production.
The bad part? Garrett is the only Cleveland player on the list.
While disappointing, it is also not a complete surprise after a season that saw the Browns go 3-14 in large part because of historically bad play from every quarterback they put on the field.
But it also highlights how former strong areas of the roster, like the offensive line, struggled during the losing campaign, at least in the eyes of PFF.
How the Browns view the situation remains to be...
