Copyright cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Only 66 days remain until Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam tell us the truth about this mess. By Jan. 5, aka “Black Monday” in struggling NFL circles, we will know who to blame for the most recent dark chapter in franchise history. As is tradition, the Browns will start a strange quarterback (Watson himself?) during their regular season finale in Cincinnati (Jan. 4). They will likely lose that game, as they have eight times in the last 10 years. Then ownership will assign blame for the worst transaction modern football (sports?) history. Who traded for Deshaun Watson? Browns fans have been asking since their team sacrificed three first-round picks, two fourth-round picks and one third-round pick for Watson in March 2022. He also cost the franchise $230 million guaranteed over five years, plus whatever price you pay for asking a fanbase to discount over two dozen sexual misconduct accusations. And the person(s) responsible for this move deserve to be held accountable. Because whoever they are, they ruined everything. Pick your favorite roster flaw or management glitch of the last few Browns seasons, and we can trace it back to the Watson trade and/or contract and/or performance dip. General manager Andrew Berry’s hasn’t drafted an offensive linemen or wide receiver in the first two rounds since the trade, in part because he’s only held three such picks in that span (all used in 2025). You see the holes in Cleveland’s 29th-ranked drop rate (5.6% of passes) and league-worst pass blocking grade (34.4 on a 1-100 scale), per PFF. Coach Kevin Stefanski, hired and awarded for his offensive acumen, just forfeited playcalling for the second straight season. Last year, fans struggled to sift between Watson’s inaccurate passes or bad reads and Stefanski’s bad play calls. And this season, the quarterback room is broken because Stefanski’s presumed starter — no, star — has both regressed and torn his Achilles. More Cleveland Browns coverage What Joe Flacco’s 470-yard day says about the Browns; a big idea for the Cavs’ second unit: Terry’s Talkin’ podcast Browns may have inquired about Jets WR Garrett Wilson, but traded for no players at the deadline Browns won’t face 2 All-Pro defenders Sunday in Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams after the 1-7 Jets hold a fire sale Cleveland pictured Watson leading this offense for the rest of this decade. The vision lasted (parts of) three seasons. Without a plan at quarterback, you don’t have a plan at all — or, as a result, much job security. In most cases, no context can save a regime from the 5-20 record that Berry and Stefanski have authored during their fifth and sixth seasons. In this case, however, the “buts” holds more weight. Berry has mismanaged Cleveland’s draft capital and cap sheet, but we don’t know how much control he harbored over the picks and money that define his tenure. Stefanski’s offense ranks last in success rate for the second straight season, but trading for and extending Watson has sapped his offense’s talent over the last three seasons. Whoever traded for him deserves to be fired, but fans are still wondering who to blame three years later. Just wait until Jan. 5. If the Haslams retain Stefanski and Berry past then, consider it a tacit confession: Ownership catalyzed the Watson deal, and it feels it owes Berry and Stefanski the chance to rebuild on their terms. If not, then then the coach and GM wear 5-20. They own their part in the Watson trade. And they probably don’t work here anymore. Nobody should root for firings, but Browns fans can, if nothing else, cheer for clarity. At 2-6 this season and 5-20 since ‘24, they’ve spent too much time booing recently, not enough learning where to direct it. This weekend’s game in New York may be the last time Cleveland (-2.5) is favored this season, and fans may not even want the Browns to win. Draft position is precious this time of year. But their path to April looks bleak. The Browns play nine more games this season, and many will be hard to watch. The quarterbacks are too young; the offensive line is too old and injured. The receivers aren’t good enough. Just know that, at the end of this slog, fans have a date to circle. Closure doesn’t win games or fill roster holes, but it can help people process their emotions. And come Black Monday, fans will know who to blame for the latest round of Browns ruin. The Haslams have 66 days to get their story straight.
