The Cleveland Browns have wrapped up their most successful season since 2007. Their 7-8-1 record is decent, but is not nearly as important as other things that happened this year. Here are the five biggest takeaways from the 2018 season.
5. Hue Jackson is a terrible head coach
If the 1-31 record wasn't reason enough to believe this, the eight games that Jackson led the team for in 2018 were. Jackson went 2-5-1, with his final game as coach of the Browns being a 33-18 beatdown by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jackson and new offensive coordinator Todd Haley (who was also fired) had been at each other's throats ever since Haley was hired. The offense was dull, uninspired, and ineffective. Players were not being utilized correctly, the playcalling was abhorrent, and quarterback Baker Mayfield was getting beat up.
After firing Jackson and Haley, Cleveland finished the year on a 5-3 run, with their only losses coming to playoff teams in Kansas City, Baltimore, and Houston. Once Freddie Kitchens took over the offense, everything changed. Mayfield played like a top-10 QB for much of the second half of the year, former first-round busts Greg Robinson and Breshad Perriman made big impacts, and the Browns allowed only 9 QB hits over the last eight games. The second-place Indianapolis Colts allowed 29.
Jackson's complete incompetence earned Cleveland the distinction of being just the second 0-16 in NFL history and cost them a playoff spot in 2018. And he had the audacity to blame the Browns' struggles on Sashi Brown, the former general manager. The Browns don't even have a head coach currently, and that's better than having Jackson.
4. John Dorsey may be the best talent evaluator in the NFL
The John Dorsey hire was classified as a very smart one. Dorsey had proven himself capable of drafting good players, yet few people could have predicted just how well he would do in Cleveland. In addition to his first draft that yielded Mayfield, Denzel Ward, Nick Chubb, Antonio Callaway, and Genard Avery, he picked up Greg Robinson and Breshad Perriman off the streets. Robinson helped shore up what would become the best pass blocking offensive line in the league during the second half of the season, and in that same timeframe, Perriman ranked second in the NFL in yards per route run.
Sashi Brown acquired draft capital and laid out the foundation of the team, but Dorsey hit a home run with Cleveland's 2018 draft class. The man who identified Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield as the two best QBs of the past two drafts is gearing up for another important draft in April, and if his history is any indication, the Browns will come out of the 2019 draft with more excellent players.
3. The defense still needs work
While interim head coach Gregg Williams was the hero that Cleveland needed, he isn't the one it deserves. Williams instilled a culture of competition and accountability, which was a stark contrast from the lackadaisical atmosphere that Jackson emitted. Still, there is a reason that Williams is not considered a strong contender to be the next full-time head coach; his Browns defenses have not been very good.
Cleveland did rank 21st in scoring defense, 30th in yards, and 22nd in sacks. Their only redeeming factor was their 31 takeaways, which ranked second only to Chicago's 36. The problem is that takeaways are not reliable, and basing a defense on generating turnovers leaves much to chance, and the result is lots of yards and points given up. The defense does have some holes, including DT and OLB, but with players like Myles Garrett, Joe Schobert, Denzel Ward, Damarious Randall, and Jabrill Peppers, a bottom 10 defense just is not acceptable. The offense will be able to win games next year, but the Browns can't be a legitimate playoff team until their defense improves.
2. The offense has immense potential
If you have a good QB in the NFL, you can compete. That is even more true when that QB is on his rookie contract, allowing the rest of the offense to be built up. All Mayfield did in his rookie season was break the rookie record for TD passes in 13.5 games. In addition to Mayfield, the Browns have a franchise RB in Nick Chubb, a great pass-blocking offensive line that could be further upgraded in the offseason, and excellent receiving weapons in Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Antonio Callaway, Breshad Perriman, and David Njoku.
With a full offseason of immersion in an offense and the addition of one more WR, the Browns could have one of the NFL's best offenses next year. Mayfield's ability to elevate players around him is special, and as long as he is under center, the sky is the limit for the Cleveland offense.
1. Baker Mayfield is a franchise quarterback
The 2018 QB class was hailed as arguably the best of the decade. Yet Mayfield was an afterthought for much of the draft process. His lack of ideal height and the offensive system he played in convinced “experts” that the Browns were going to go with a more prototypical QB like Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen. John Dorsey took the risk with Mayfield, and the plan was to have him ride the bench for the season, learning from starter Tyrod Taylor, who Cleveland had traded the 65th overall pick for.
When Taylor went down just before halftime against the New York Jets in week three, Mayfield immediately proved he belonged on the field, leading the Browns to a comeback win, their first victory since the 2015 season. He had some rough spots during the year, as all rookies do, but his leadership and intensity were apparent all the time. His teammates rallied behind him and fed off of his energy.
Mayfield's play was very impressive, but his cultural impact on the Browns' organization as a whole may be even more important. The team has been mired in losing for 20 years, and in just one season, Mayfield has completely changed that outlook. He is the definition of the franchise QB, and the city of Cleveland has embraced him. The Browns have a solid roster aside from the QB position, but Mayfield is why fans finally have hope.
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