Copyright cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Sunday was peaceful for Browns fans. The sun shone a little brighter, the air was crisp, and the autumn leaves softly bounced off the pavement. This is all in thanks to the Browns. Not that they won or anything, they just had the day off. Fans got through a fall Sunday without screaming about what their favorite football team is doing. The Browns come out of their bye week with a record of 2-6, good enough for last in the AFC North. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Here are the real winners and losers through the first half of the season: More Cleveland Browns coverage Jaguars’ Cam Little breaks the NFL record for longest field goal How long is the leash on Browns rookie QB Dillon Gabriel? Hey, Mary Kay! Looking back at the big draft deal. Trading Myles Garrett? – Terry’s Talkin’ Browns Loser: Curators Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski know where they’re at: In the NFL, you are what your record says you are, and you own it. Right now, this offense is a dumpster fire and everybody’s searching for a fire extinguisher. Both the moves made — and lack of moves made — in the offseason have led to two wins going into November, from not adding to a depleted offensive line, to keeping the wide receiver room in the abyss. The highlight of their offseason moves was in the quarterback room. A total of six quarterbacks were added or subtracted before the season opener. Even while the 40-year old Joe Flacco didn’t play well, he wasn’t set up for success either. Now we get to watch him look rejuvenated with the Browns’ division rival in Cincinnati. Sure, they drafted some pretty good rookies who can lead the way for the future. But what about right now? Loser: The offense Insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result. Cleveland’s offense is once again a strong favorite to finish as the NFL’s worst. The offense is supposed to move as one heartbeat. Cleveland’s offense barely contains a pulse. The Browns currently rank 30th in points (15.8) and dead last in yards gained per play (4.1). Within the passing game, they actually rank first in attempts (302) but 30th in passing yards (1,392). The passes are quick and sharp, but move the chains only so far. And while Cleveland’s quarterback play is always under a microscope, the problems range deeper than whoever is in the pocket. Before a Week 7 blowout win over Miami, Cleveland was the only team that had yet to eclipse 20 points. You had seven Major League Baseball teams who recorded 20 or more runs in a game during the 2025 regular season before Cleveland’s offense hit 20 points. Who’s calling plays again? Winner: Quinshon Judkins The offense has been a dark tunnel, but rookie running back Quinshon Judkins is the light at the end of it. Off-the-field issues kept the 36th overall pick sidelined for training camp and the preseason period. He didn’t ink his contract until the day before the season opener, which he also missed. But he barely missed a beat, and has been one of the NFL’s best backs through the first half of the season. He fits the mold of a AFC North that’s always thrived on the run game. Judkins entered the bye week 14th in rushing yards (486), tied for seventh in touchdowns (five), and sixth in rushing yards after contact (304). Judkins is doing this while facing eight defenders near the line of scrimmage nearly as much as any other running back in the league. He faces eight in the box 44.07% of the time, which ranks third among all running backs, per Next Gen Stats. That’s impressive. Browns fans wondered how the Browns would transition to a team without Nick Chubb in the backfield. That transition is a little easier now. Winner: Carson Schwesinger The linebacker out of UCLA has been another standout. When linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was announced out for the 2025 NFL season due to a season-ending neck injury suffered in Week 8 of 2024, that created a void. There was natural skepticism about whether an unproven rookie could take on that role, but Schwesinger has fit in smoothly and been a star. He doesn’t shy away from contact, delivering hard hits and making the extra play. Heading into the bye weekend, Schwesinger was tied for 12th among all defensive players in combined tackles (64), holds one sack, and earned his first interception in Week 8 before the bye week. Schwesinger also suffered an ankle injury in that Week 8 loss, so he’s currently week to week, but should fall right back in line when healthy. Loser: Jerry Jeudy Jeudy’s supposed to be the main option at receiver. He’s supposed to set the example with sharp hands and speedy feet. He should be producing like he did late last season, which led to becoming Cleveland’s WR1. Jeudy has done everything but that so far. He entered the bye week second in drops among NFL pass catchers (eight). Some of them simply bounced off his chest pad. The last time Jeudy caught a touchdown pass was in Week 14 of last season. On top of that, the lack of production led to a combined two targets in the two games leading up to the bye week. And honestly, you can’t blame them. Why feed your main option if he won’t produce like one? Loser: Sure-handedness Hands catch passes. But Cleveland’s done the opposite. They entered the bye week third in dropped passes (17), 11 of which are on the wide receivers. Furthermore, Cleveland ranks ninth for most catchable targets (212), and 20th in on-target catch percentage (89.1%), per Sports Info Solutions. The bigger problem is this isn’t a trend. It’s a bad habit. The Browns led the NFL in dropped passes (49) last season. The year before, they finished second (42). Ahead of Week 7, wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea spoke about the drops and emphasized going back to fundamentals. “That’s the only way that I have learned or know to fix it as a coach, is just to go back and emphasize the things that we need to be better at,” O’Shea said. Loser: Protecting the edge It’s difficult for quarterbacks to produce when their blindside is exposed at a consistent rate. The Browns quarterbacks have suffered 20 sacks, 11 of which are on the offensive tackles, per Pro Football Focus. Third-year tackle Dawand Jones has ended each season early with a season-ending injury. Jack Conklin’s recurring injuries are continuing and lead to early exits during games. The backups haven’t been any better. Cornelius Lucas III has appeared in only five games, yet, still ties for second in most quarterback pressures allowed among tackles (29), per PFF. KT Leveston has 18 quarterback pressures to his name, and the most penalties (four) of anyone on the offensive line, per NFLPenalties. When does it stop? Winner: Grant Delpit The sixth-year strong safety has notched it up another level. His game-pivoting interception when Cleveland needed it most to help seal their Week 3 comeback win over Green Bay was cold-blooded. In Week 7 vs. Miami, Delpit earned two special teams tackles and a forced fumble to earn AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. His game continues to improve. Winner: Myles Garrett You know what No. 95 will bring to the gridiron. Garrett continues to display why he’s one of the NFL’s best players through the first half of the season. He entered the bye week tied for first in sacks (10.0), half of which came in the Week 5 loss to New England. That adds to his current total of 112.5 career sacks, good enough for 27th all time. Among qualifying edge rushers, Garrett ranks second in overall defensive grading (92.2), first in run-defense (86.7), second in pass-rushing (92.6), and third in tackle grading (81.8), per PFF. Garrett is that dude. Nuff said. Loser: Myles Garrett “Woah, what are you doing making Garrett a loser? You just praised his play.” That’s correct. Myles Garrett is All-World, no doubt about it. He will continue breaking records and climbing up the career sacks list. However, Garrett signing that $160 million contract extension was like signing his life away with a pair of golden handcuffs. Garrett’s window to leave came and went. In early February, the 29-year old took a subtle shot at GM Andrew Berry in his trade request, and did a media tour during Super Bowl week, only to come back and sign with the Browns. Now, Garrett is short on words during each postgame press conference after a loss. Restating how frustrating it is to lose in the same fashion. Is this season any different from the previous eight seasons he experienced? From a winless rookie season to present day, Garrett had more than enough reason to leave. Instead, he’s stuck in purgatory.
