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I wish I could give you somewhat of an informed opinion on which direction Haslam will go on this but alas I do not.

The one thing I believe to be true but it's based on nothing more than an opinion and key factors............... Is that it was Haslam who was the driving force behind the watson deal.

I base that on a few things. It hamstrung this FO from having three first round draft picks and a second round draft pick. It also hamstrung them from a financial perspective which limited Berry's ability to sign top FA's. I understand that under those circumstances it makes it virtually impossible to build a good roster. That's why both top draft picks and top FA's are so critical to building a roster in the NFL. Those are the only resources you have to build a roster at all.

It's my belief and makes sense that if Berry and Stefnaski were the people mainly responsible for creating the watson disaster Haslam would have already fired them. I mean this is one of the worst if not the worst trades ever in NFL history. The only other disaster of a deal on this magnitude I can think of is when in the Ditka traded the Bears entire 1999 draft class and first- and third-round picks in 2000 to the Washington Redskins to move up from the 12th to the 5th overall pick to select Ricky Williams. And we all saw how that ended up working out for Ditka.

So my opinion is the only reason Berry and Stefanksi are still here now is because Haslam knows he is responsible for the shape the Browns are in now. That it's he and nobody else that bears that responsibility.

Whether that makes any difference moving forward I have no idea. But it's my firm belief is that if it were Berry and Stefanski behind the watson trade they both would have been fired at the end of last season or even sooner.

Isn't it hard to see how much improvement they need since they haven't had a first round pick in years and were hamstrung by the salary cap situation the watson deal put them in? I mean whith a full bevy of draft picks the results thus far look favorable in the last draft.

I'm not sure what you think the Steelers "know" but as of now during the 2025 season George Pickens has recorded 49 receptions for 764 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns, while playing for the Dallas Cowboys. He's also averaging 15.6 yards per reception and has a total of 63 targets.

Sam Darnold's contract with the Seattle Seahawks is a three-year, \$100.5 million deal that includes \$55 million in guarantees.

Daniel Jones signed a four-year, $160 million contract extension with the New York Giants in March 2023, which includes $82 million in guaranteed money and $35 million in incentives.

I'm not sure where you think Berry was supposed to get the money for those contracts with all of the watson money weighing things down.

And I get that list of draft picks but some of those names are later round picks who have very low odds of success no matter which teams draft them.

Hudson was a 4th rounder

Ford was a 5th rounder

Felton was a 6th rounder

I mean i get it. I'm not going to lose any sleep if theses guys get fired. But some of the reasons being given simply don't add up. That's my point with some of this.

Nice Piece by Jimmy Watkins


By

Jimmy Watkins, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Only 61 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 (think Jeff Driskel and Dorian Thompson-Robinson) 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 in 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 fan base 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 hasn’t drafted an offensive lineman 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 play calling 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.

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” hold 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 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 61 days to get their story straight.

- This story has been updated to reflect the proper amount of time remaining until Jan. 5.

My question is would smart business people put all of their eggs into one basket based on a hand full of good performances and risk the future of the franchise based on that?

Often times when opposing teams get enough game film on a QB they figure out how to defend him and neutralize their effectiveness.

I'm certainly not one who would be willing to take such a gamble. Too small of a sample size.

The word "promise" is what I'm afraid of. I certainly agree that he deserves a chance to start and wouldn't mind all of the remaining starts after Flacco left being divided evenly between he and Gabriele giving them both an equal opportunity.

What I worry about is that he shows just enough "promise" to prevent the Browns from drafting a franchise QB. Like I said, after six or seven starts opposing HC's and DC's get enough film on a QB to be able to recognize his strong suits and learn how to exploit his weaknesses. That "promise" you speak of may evaporate after opposing DC's get enough tape and time on Sanders. For me it boils down to whether they keep Gabriele or Sanders as the backup moving forward.

As a Browns fan I have certainly learned what happens when fans get enamored with a back up QB only to see how that plays out after other teams get more film on them.

In a perfect world the scenario you describe would be the best possible outcome.

But as I think you can see with the difference in "Bengals Flacco" this season verses "Browns Flacco", our O isn't a place conducive for even a wily veteran to flourish much less a 5th round rookie QB. With this battered and bruised OL and a lack of WR's I see what you are describing as more of a pipe dream. One I wish to we would see happen but I'm pretty sure that would have to beat some very long odds.

If I were Sanders, I'd be thanking my lucky stars every day I don't have to stand behind this Oline and throw to these receivers.

My understanding is that the offense could potentially benefit from his long ball, but more than likely he'd look like he did in the final preseason game where he kept reverting back to old bad habits that will result in taking a lot of hits and sacks.

One thing for sure, we know that Depo won't be part of the deal now. I'm wondering if Berry or KS will be?

All I know for sure is, that I wish they'd have put a good product on the field before asking us for Billions to move the team out of Cleveland.

Re: that Watkins article. I think it’s wrong to assume that Haslam wouldn’t fire Ski & Barry even tho he pushed for the DW pick. Owners can do whatever they want. Coaches and GMs that want to work again don’t spill tea or air dirty laundry. At least not quickly if they want to work again. I think Haslam has finger prints all over most of our worst decisions since his tenure began. Manzel, Hugh Jackson, Freddie Kitchens, DW, etc. There is zero reason to believe he (or any billionaire) wouldn’t delude himself into believing the problem is anything but himself.

And another thing. It cannot be understated just how much of a fork in the road the DW decision was. You could say with pretty strong confidence that Mayfield stays, we have 3 Barry drafts replete with with 1st round picks, no awful $230m anvil around the neck, hampering trades, preventing us from keeping our talent from walking, and crapping the bed with the fanbase and this team is consistently in the playoff picture every year, maybe even Super Bowl convos.

But we took the other road. In other words, that one fateful decision changed literally everything about this franchise ever since. Truth be told, I don’t think Haslam is ever NOT going to make decisions like that. So I won’t be at all surprised if Ski & Barry are gone even tho Haslam was the one.

The DW trade will haunt us for years. It already has started its haunting-ness.

Clean house, I hate saying that but this crap is beyond ridiculous.

Bubba needs to be axed just out of principle. What an embarrassment today with the two kick returns for six.

Setting aside that Dillon Gabriel is a rookie. Does his skill/set make you think he’d be the next Burrows, or Herbert with the Chargers? Or Drake Maye? He’ll be a solid backup to the QB we draft next spring.


It’s 2025, not 1975, and 5’9 QBs can’t play in the national football league.

We also need to upgrade the OL, big-time, and the WR position.

The Jags lost today so that was a bright spot.