DeShaun Watson threw two touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss with Nick Chubb rushing for seventy-seven yards to lead the offense.
The Browns finished the 2022 season at 7-10 and would have picked in the 12th position in the first round but they will transfer that selection to the Houston Texans in return for DeShaun Watson.
Brownie Bits
1) I'm not going to get too into detail on the loss in Pittsburgh as much as write on a few different Browns topics but a major concern suddenly is the offensive line.
An offensive line that looked to be a strength of the team allowed seven sacks of DeShaun Watson and might have allowed even more if not for the ability of Watson to avoid the pass rush.
2) Some of the woes may be corrected by a training camp with Watson to develop the chemistry and "feel" for what Watson needs for his protection.
The Browns lacked that this year and hopefully that will help- I believe it will.
3) I've written before about the Browns having to make a key decision on activating their option on Jedrick Wills for his fifth season during this off-season.
A decision that has become more difficult with the second consecutive disappointing season from Wills after a pretty good rookie season as the Browns first-rounder in 2020.
I liked Wills entering the draft and rated him as my second-rated player at the position in a year that was an excellent crop at tackle.
The Browns could have drafted my top tackle, Tristan Wirfs from Iowa but selected Wills instead.
Wirfs landed with Tampa Bay at the 12th slot and has been a Pro Bowl selection in each of the last two seasons
I do not envy the Browns position here.
4) I haven't written about the comments by Jadeveon Clowney this week about the Browns which led to him not joining the team for the game against the Steelers.
Clowney's comments about being held back as the team preferring to place Myles Garrett against a more favorable blocker may be valid but not the reasons for favoritism as Clowney claimed.
The Browns are hardly in a position to care about where production is coming from and I'm going to side with the coaching staff on this one.
5) Nick Chubb needed a huge rushing day to have a chance of winning the rushing title and he would fall short as he was given only twelve carries for his seventy-seven yards.
That was never going to be enough to overcome the eventual winner (Josh Jacobs of the Raiders) or Derrick Henry, who nosed Chubb out for second by thirteen yards.
6) Part of the reason that Chubb was not going to receive the workload was the decision to throw twenty-nine passes with DeShaun Watson and while that may not have been the best path to a victory in Pittsburgh, it was part of the following plan...
7) So much of what has happened in the final six games of the season has been about DeShaun Watson and preparing him for next season.
In hindsight, it is very clear that some of the game plans (Watson throwing so much in the freezer-like conditions against the Saints as one example) were not planned to give the Browns the best chance of winning that particular day but were to see how Watson would react to certain conditions or situations to prepare for next season.
By having film on what he may do and actually did, Kevin Stefanski and the staff have some concrete ideas on what Watson needs work for 2023 and how they can best use those skills.
8) The Browns fired Joe Woods as the defensive coordinator after the game and there are quite a few big names available.
I'm going to write about that later in the week about my preferred candidates but I'm pretty sure that this was a needed move.
9) The Browns have enough people that are on the proverbial "Hot Seat" next season that they could not afford to add Joe Woods to that ship.
There could be enough changes next season if the Browns stumble to a poor first half that the team couldn't gamble on a third season in a row for a bad defensive start.
10) Finally,
It's another disappointing season for the Cleveland Browns and I'm not sure how I feel about the future.
The Browns seem to have their quarterback and that's something but there are many holes on this team and I'm not brimming with confidence that they can be filled by the current administration.
On offense, a wide receiver to move opposite Amari Cooper is a must and cannot be ignored again.
On the defense, anything along the defensive line is must have and the same at linebacker as well.
This is not what has been portrayed by the Browns as a team in need of only a quarterback to take them over the top.
This is a team that has some talent but isn't a surefire plug and play contender.
The clock should be running on Andrew Berry, Kevin Stefanski, and especially Paul DePodesta, let's see what they have in mind.
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