It was a soap opera with a terribly sad ending. The Cleveland Browns lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-14, to finish the season with a 7-10 record. Keep in mind that the Browns have had two losing seasons after a miraculous run in 2020. For sure, this warrants significant player and coaching changes for the 2023 campaign. Here we'll discuss the four biggest disappointments for the Browns from the 2022 NFL season.
The Browns' season-ender was a disappointment. The team missed the playoffs for another year, and to compound things, they also had three starters injured. The season was plagued by off-field issues and drama. It was just not a successful year for the team. They started off on a difficult note with the suspension of a key player, lost their home opener with a blown lead, and had to deal with the fallout from a high-profile incident involving another player. The team will now look to move forward and find a new defensive coordinator. For sure, Browns fans hope that their Dawgs will have a more successful and drama-free 2023 season.
Now let us look at the four biggest disappointments for the Browns from the 2022 NFL season.
Focused on the areas we can improve pic.twitter.com/WnaL32cRVZ
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) January 9, 2023
4. WR Anthony Schwartz
Wideout Anthony Schwartz has been the most disappointing pass catcher for the Browns. We believe it's time for Cleveland to cut ties with him.
Yes, he's quick as a fox, but speed alone is not enough to justify his presence on the squad. Remember that he is only used for end-around plays or fakes. That is just not valuable to the team.
Keep in mind that there is much room for improvement when it comes to the Browns' receiver corps. People have actually overestimated their abilities. Schwartz epitomizes that.
Looking ahead, the Browns should focus on adding true talent rather than relying on players with “potential.”
3. DE Jadeveon Clowney
Highly touted DE Jadeveon Clowney revitalized his career last season when he recorded 9 sacks for the Browns defensive line. That was, in fact, the most he has had since 2018. He formed a really scary pass-rush duo with his teammate Myles Garrett. Not surprisingly, he re-signed with the Browns for $11 million in May. However, his second season in Cleveland did not go as well as he or the team had hoped. He recorded just two sacks all season.
He even expressed frustration early on with the team for changing his role during games in order to give more favorable matchups to Garrett. On the flip side, during a game in October, defensive line coach Chris Kiffin revealed that Clowney refused to play in any situation other than on third down. He was then benched for the first series of the next game against Cincinnati.
As the season ended, Clowney also made more comments and revealed he was not keen on staying in Cleveland.
2. QB Deshaun Watson
Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson returned from an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. However, his return didn't really bring a significant improvement for the team. At times, the Browns offense even looked shakier under Watson than it did under Jacoby Brissett.
As things stand, Watson's career and reputation are in jeopardy. Remember that his first season with the Browns was uneventful and the team only won 3 out of 6 games in which he started. The Browns have little choice but to commit to him, though. The team, after all, invested a lot in Watson, trading several draft picks and signing him to a large contract.
Watson himself was disappointed with his performance in his first year. He averaged just 212.8 total yards per game. Watson also had just eight total touchdowns against five interceptions. He finished the season with a career-low passer rating of 79.1.
1. DC Joe Woods
The Browns just dismissed defensive coordinator Joe Woods. This was not so surprising. After all, following a disappointing 7-10 season, someone's head had to roll. Take note that Woods had been the defensive coordinator for three seasons and was previously an assistant coach for multiple teams. Despite showing improvement towards the end of the season, their failure to reach the playoffs was primarily caused by their poor performance in the early season.
During the season, Cleveland's defense allowed 22.0 points per game, which is middle of the pack in the league. The Browns also allowed the fifth least passing yards per game. Not too shabby, right? However, they also allowed the eighth most rushing yards per game. Cleveland had a good rushing offense, but it was canceled out by their terrible rushing defense.
And then there was also Clowney's outburst that made things worse. Other players on the team also had complaints about Woods throughout the season. His firing allows the team to start fresh. That said, success may still be limited if the team does not improve on their interior defensive line play for 2023.
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