Browns win home opener over Carolina

       The Cleveland Browns defense stepped up when they needed it most, and DeShaun Watson threw his second touchdown of the game to Harold Fannin with 1:48 remaining as the Browns won their home opener over the Carolina Panthers 21-18.

Watson completed 16 of 30 passes for 144 yards and the two touchdowns.

Fannin led the offense with seven catches for fifty-one yards.

Mason Graham led the defense with two sacks as the Browns improved to 2-1 and will host Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Brownie Bits

1) The offense still has a long way to go, and while the Browns can't complain about winning, they still have to wonder about DeShaun Watson.

Watson didn't throw an interception and did lead the team to the game-winning touchdown, but...

2) Carolina dropped a few possible interceptions, and one they held onto was overruled by a penalty.

I know there are ifs and buts, but these things tend to even out over a season, and once interceptions start to be completed, things can go off a wagon quickly.

3) Watson has developed a connection with Harold Fannin and Denzel Boston, but he is struggling to gain a rapport with first-round selection K.C. Concepcion.

Concepcion was targeted nine times, but caught only two for nine yards.

4) Concepcion may be struggling, but the highly paid Jerry Jeudy was non-existent, as Jeudy didn't have a single pass thrown to him all game.

Jeudy carries a high dead cap number if he's traded (good luck with that) or released, so unless his attitude becomes disruptive, he'll be around all season, but it looks bleak for anything other than an occasional flash from Jeudy.

5) The Browns traded for tackle Tytus Howard in the offseason and gave him a contract extension after a mediocre year with Houston.

Howard was called for three false starts and seems to be a questionable decision as a full-time tackle.

6) Another offseason acquisition was playing well in Elgton Jenkins, but Jenkins is unlikely to play against Pittsburgh after entering the concussion protocol.

The Browns will likely start Luke Wypler as fifth-round draftee Parker Brailsford is still recovering from a broken hand suffered in training camp.

7) It might be time to reevaluate my opinion on Mason Graham, whom the Browns took fifth overall in 2025.

Graham sacked Bryce Young twice in this game and has four sacks in the three games after finishing with just one as a rookie.

Graham has been giving the Browns the power rush up the middle that many teams covet, but few teams possess.

8) The Browns pay Denzel Ward to be a shutdown corner, and he was just that in shutting down Carolina's second-year standout Tetairoa McMillan, holding the talented McMillan to two catches for seventeen yards.

9) The Browns might be starting to receive benefits from Mike Hall after middling results in his two previous seasons.

Hall didn't get to the quarterback for a sack, but pressured him several times and helped Mason Graham's sacks.

10)  The Browns are surprises at 2-1, and a win over Pittsburgh would start the good vibes rolling.

Before thinking of that, consider the Browns wins came over opponents with a combined record of 1-5.

I'm not saying to not be happy, but let's see where we are after the Steelers  game and a road game against the winless New York Jets.

Cleveland Browns Draft Review

    The Cleveland Browns needed a great draft, and I'm not sure they got it, even though some picks will help the team.

Overall, I have to say I liked the trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but it's also disappointing to miss Travis Hunter as a standout with the Cleveland Browns.

I think Mason Graham was a top ten player, and I have no issues with his selection, although I'd love to hear how Andrew Berry has changed his philosophy on defensive tackles in just a few years, as in the past (pre-2023), Berry had given very little importance to the position.

Graham was the best defensive tackle in the draft, and while I don't think he will be an Aaron Donald type that dominates games, since he isn't an elite pass rusher up the middle, he will provide some pass rush and shut down the run.

As of now, the trade stands as the Jaguars with Travis Hunter and Bhayshaul Tuten (4th round pick acquired from the Browns, a running back from Virginia Tech) for Mason Graham, Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson, and whomever the Browns select in next year's draft with the first rounder from Jacksonville.

I'm cautiously optimistic, but it's Andrew Berry making the selections, so I'm not guaranteeing success.

The Browns' selection of UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger to start the second round is polarizing.

In a weak linebacker group, the Browns are looking at the loss of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, and with a desperate need for an athletic linebacker who has similarities to JOK, I can see the need for the position.

And if the Browns had Schwesinger as the last linebacker who could make an impact, the pick makes sense.

However, there were superior players available, and Schwesinger only started for one season with the Bruins, although his season was incredibly productive, so there are reasons to wonder about the value of Schwesinger at this pick.

I did like the Browns' second-round choice that they acquired from Jacksonville, Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins.

I would have been happy with either Buckeye running back (Judkins or TreVeyon Henderson), and each has their strong points.

Henderson is the faster and more explosive of the two, Judkins the more powerful and might have the edge as far as an every-down back.

This is another hit, I think, and by the season's end, Judkins will be the Browns' top running back.

The first of their two third-rounders might not make an immediate impact, but could be the long-term tight end in Bowling Green's Harold Fannin.

Fannin never played tight end until reaching Bowling Green, and with his physical skills, could be a strong replacement when David Njoku moves on.

Fannin wasn't only a Group of Five destroyer, as he had big games in Bowling Green's close road losses to Texas A&M and Penn State.

It may not be this year, but I think Fannin will eventually become a starter.

The most controversial selection came near the end of round three with Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

Some like Gabriel's arm more than I do; he's older than most rookies (turns 25 before the end of the year), and at 5'11 is undersized.

Reportedly, Gabriel won over the Browns in the interview process (The Ivies have been fooled by this before), and his excellent college record gives him the tag of "winner".

I think Gabriel's ceiling is a long-term backup, and I don't see him as a regular starter in the league.

I'm open to being wrong, but I don't believe so.

In round four, the Browns grabbed another running back, Tennessee's Dylan Sampson. Sampson is a speedy back who can break the big run at any time.

Sampson will hopefully team with Quinshon Judkins to give the Browns two different types of backs and allow the team to impose the running game as the focal point of the offense.

Sampson will supplant Jerome Ford, either this year or definitely in 2026, as the team's speed back who will hopefully emerge as a gamebreaker.

Then the controversy began as the Browns traded with Seattle to move up in the fifth round (they gave their sixth rounder to flip fifth rounders) to grab Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

I liked Sanders entering the draft, but not as an early first-round pick, and I wasn't in favor of a first-round quarterback at all, considering the state of the franchise.

Sanders takes a lot of sacks, and he throws better long than short, but I think he has a chance of being an NFL starter.

I'm not saying Sanders will be a franchise quarterback, but he was worth the low cost of a sixth-round pick to find out.

Overall, this is a draft that I'm pleased with, but a few questions remain.

Did the Browns reach for Carson Schewesinger because the linebackers are a weaker class and, with the likely loss of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, caused them to panic?

Did the Browns once again reach for a smallish quarterback because the Ivy Leagues loved his rap in the interview?

And if they did, how long will Dillon Gabriel receive, and how will their Gabriel obsession affect the chances of Shedeur Sanders?

Will Mason Graham be a destructive force or merely a very good player who excels against the run?

The answers to these questions will come on the field, but for now, my grade is a B+

Until then, it's a year filled with watching and rooting against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Berry Strikes Again-Browns trade down, take Mason Graham

  Andrew Berry's questionable draft strategy has struck again. Berry decided to trade down rather than take one of the two elite talents in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Cleveland passed on Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, the much-lauded "Unicorn" who could make an impact at both wide receiver and cornerback, and Penn State's pass-rushing standout Abdul Carter to order to land Jacksonville's second round pick  (giving Cleveland two of the first four picks in round two and another chance for Berry to trade down) Jacksonville's fourth rounder (126) and the biggest prize of all, Jacksonville's first rounder in 2026.

The first rounder next season could be used to improve draft position and give the Browns a chance to be in a position to add a quarterback in what appears to be a far better quarterback class.

The Browns sent the second overall pick, their fourth-rounder (104), and one of their many sixth-rounders (200) to Jacksonville, who quickly snared Travis Hunter.

The Browns then used Jacksonville's first-round pick to select Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, the best defensive tackle in the draft.

The 6'3, 320-pound Graham finished 2024 with twenty-three solo tackles, seven tackles for loss, and three and a half sacks for Michigan.

Graham is strong, relentless against the run and pass, and a former wrestler, which I've always loved when looking at linemen on both sides of the football.

Dane Brugler (draft analyst for The Athletic) uses the term "leverage monster" for Graham, which is appropriate because Graham sheds blockers and can provide some interior pass rush, even if his three seasons produced only nine sacks.

Here's my take-  the return for the second overall choice is pretty good.

Mason Graham is an excellent player, and while he's not the flashiest selection, I think it is a solid one in a draft that lacks elite, impact talent outside of Travis Hunter and Abdul Carter.

Granted, Andrew Berry appeared to have made an excellent deal based on the return from the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the trade has one flaw- it's still Andrew Berry making the selections.

You can own the first five picks in a draft and if the wrong guy is running your draft, it can be screwed up.

Travis Hunter is a special player with abilities on both sides of the ball that we may never see again, and would have made a bad and boring team more watchable.

Mason Graham will be a step-in starter and at number five in a draft that lacked flashier stars, I have zero problems taking Graham, other than the Browns (who have, as recently as 2022, thought that the defensive tackle position wasn't one worth investing big resources) have now used their top pick on defensive tackles (Graham and 2024 second rounder Mike Hall), which causes me to wonder why the philosophical change and what data caused this flip?

My issue isn't with Mason Graham, it's with Andrew Berry and how many in the Browns media tolerate this stuff.

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, who I like as a reporter, but is a bit of a Kool-Aid drinker toward Berry and the administration with tweeting during the draft about "Wheelin' and Dealin'" Andrew Berry like he's Dusty Rhodes preparing for a challenge of Tully Blanchard, when it's Berry's "Wheelin and Dealin" that's caused this mess in the first place!

The Browns have four picks on day two, two of the first four and have a chance to nab two quality players, players who could have easily selected in the first round such as Marshall defensive end Mike Green, who I think might be a better pure pass rusher than Abdul Carter, either Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, or Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden, players to help an offense in desperate need.

Knowing Andrew Berry and his philosophy, I'd be surprised if the Browns actually use both picks to accumulate more choices now and in 2026.

After all, it's better to have four mediocre players than one good one.

I will be working during the remainder of the draft, so my recaps of each Cleveland choice may be slower than usual, but I will post them as quickly as possible!