Bailey Zappe received the start as the Browns' fourth starting quarterback of a long season and threw two interceptions along with the Browns only touchdown to Jordan Akins.
The Browns finished a pathetic 3-14. The bigger news would come off the field on Sunday as the remainder of the league finished their campaigns as Cleveland announced the firings of offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and Andy Dickerson and with the New England Patriots defeating the Buffalo Bills moved up one sport in the draft to pick second overall.
I'm planning some special Browns material over the next few weeks, so I'm saving some of that for those posts but I'll be writing just as much about the off-season in this post as recapping the final loss.
Brownie Bits
1) Bailey Zappe certainly didn't place his name in contention for the 2025 season as the starter but considering the play of Dorian Thompson-Robinson during his time, Zappe was an upgrade.
Zappe can return next year as a possible third quarterback but shouldn't be in consideration for the starting role.
2) Zappe threw a pick-six in the first quarter to Baltimore's Nate Wiggins and his other interception could have been a touchdown return by massive defensive tackle Michael Pierce, who decided to slide down rather than try to truck the ball down the sideline in what was admittedly hilarious to watch.
3) Dorian Thompson-Robinson played one series of five plays in the first half in one final attempt to "see what they have in DTR".
4) The battered running back position for the Browns forced the team to play Jacob Kibodi for portions of the game after signing him from the Saints practice squad.
Kibodi rushed five times for twenty-four yards and caught a pass for fourteen yards.
5) Jerry Jeudy caught six passes for sixty-three yards, which broke Ozzie Newsome's record, giving Jeudy the team record for receptions with ninety.
Jeudy was the main focus in the second half as the Browns attempted to get Jeudy the football to allow him to reach the record.
6) The Browns now focus on the future and while the team will retain Kevin Stefanski as the head coach and Andrew Berry as the head of the front office, the team will make other changes.
I can live with Stefanski but I am wary of keeping Berry since his drafting has been questionable and handing Berry the keys to another draft is concerning.
7) The Browns released offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and offensive line Andy Dickerson following the defeat in Baltimore.
I think both decisions are correct.
Dorsey's preferences never meshed with Kevin Stefanski. And while any offensive line coach is going to pale compared to Bill Callahan, one of the best offensive line coaches ever, Dickerson's work was so bad that Mike Vrabel was the de facto line coach!
8) The Browns did win on Sunday without taking the field as the New England Patriots, who started rookie backup quarterback Joe Milton, surprised the Buffalo Bills, who rested several starters and tumbled from picking first to fourth with the win, moving the Browns to second in the draft.
We'll see how that works for the Browns but I'll take the higher pick every time over an insignificant final-game win with various obscure QBs.
9) In the final three games after the Browns benched Jameis Winston, the Browns scored two touchdowns.
Say what you will about Jameis Winston and his interception propensity, Winston was the one quarterback of the four starters this season that made the Browns fun to watch, and the one that gave them a chance to win.
10) Premature TRS choice for the Browns in round one, assuming they don't trade down?
Colorado two-way starter Travis Hunter or Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter would be my choices.
Why not a quarterback such as Miami's Cam Ward or Colorado's Shedur Sanders?
You'll have to wait until the future Browns series to answer those questions.
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