Five Cleveland Browns whose stocks dropped during the thrilling win vs the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cleveland Browns did something that hasn’t been since December of 1994: Beat the Dallas Cowboys.
And what a game it was. The Browns through the kitchen sink at Dallas on the ground, while Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw for over 500 yards in defeat.
There’s was plenty of good to go around in the victory, as the Browns are 3-1 for the first time since 2001. Plus, with an expanded playoff field of seven teams, Cleveland is on track for its first playoff berth since 2002.
There’s still work to do, though, if the Browns are going to hang in there with teams in the upper echelon of the AFC North, such as the Ravens and Steelers.
For example, letting the other quarterback throw for 500 yards can’t be a recipe for success.
So, while there’s plenty to enjoy from the win, these five Browns saw their stocks drop during the thrilling victory.
1. Karl Joseph
When the opposing quarterback throws for over 500 yards, everyone in the secondary should fear seeing their coaches on the first day of the practice week.
Starting safety Karl Joseph was one of the main culprits, as he allowed a touchdown pass, while also blowing three tackles during the Browns’ victory. PFF gave Joseph a game grade of 37.5, which is just beyond awful.
Joseph was signed as.a free agent to be more of an inside the box safety, so of course he’s going to allow the occasional touchdown, but the missed tackles are really the concerning part of his game.
In a bright spot for the Browns, Ronnie Harrison drew a grade of 90.1. He only played 11 snaps, but he got his hands on one of Prescott’s passes, while also adding a quarterback pressure.
It’s been four weeks now, but Harrison has finally played double-digit snaps. Hopefully, he’s used more moving forward considering the current state of the safety position.
2. Joel Bitonio
A rare dud for the Cleveland Browns’ starting left guard, as Bitonio graded out with a mark of 56.0, according to PFF.
While the Browns ran rampant over Dallas’ defense, Bitonio posted a 51.2 grade as a run blocker, which is considered replaceable. He also gave up two quarterback pressures.
Everyone has a rough game and thankfully, Bitonio’s teammates picked up. Rookie left tackle Jedrick Wills had a solid game, posting a mark of 80.0 in pass blocking.
Right guard Wyatt Teller had the highest grade of any Brown in the contest, posting. mark of 96.7! Jack Conklin wasn’t far behind him with a grade of 92.0. When the Browns decide to run, the right side may be the best option.
J.C. Tretter posted a mark of 73.3, but posted the team’s highest pass blocking grade with a mark of 84.9.
3. Andrew Sendejo
Another Browns safety appears on the report, thanks to those aforementioned 500 yards Dak Prescott threw for during Cleveland’s win.
Andrew Sendejo appears on the stock down list four the fourth time in four weeks, as the backup safety is becoming the main point of consternation among Browns’ Twitter.
The camera showed Sendejo getting to the ball late on plays where the Cowboys exploited Cleveland schematically. PFF gave him a game grade of 47.1 in coverage, while crediting him for allowing a touchdown.
If there’s a positive about Sendejo, it’s that the guy doesn’t give up, evidenced by forcing Ezeikiel Elliott to fumble in the second quarter. That was a huge play that really grounded any momentum the Cowboys had–momentum Dallas wouldn’t be able to sniff again until the fourth quarter.
For what it’s worth Sendejo graded out with a mark of 92.5 against the run, which is great, but as the starting free safety, he’s got to be be better in the backfield.
Alas, Sendejo is supposed to be baking up Grant Delpit, who’s out for the season. Ideally, Harrison will start playing more and taking some of the snaps away from the 32-year-old veteran.
4. Sione Takitaki
Sione Taktaki has now received regular playing time for a quarter of the season, and Browns’ fans are still waiting for the former third-round pick to make a notable impact.
PFF gave him a grade of 47.3 for the contest. For the season, he has a mark of 47.7, which is considered replaceable. Of 76 linebackers graded by PFF, Takitaki is 45th.
To Takitaki’s credit, he’s done a nice job against the run, drawing a grade of 70.6 on the season. That said, he played 20 passing snaps against 9 running snaps in Cleveland’s victory.
Thankfully, the Browns were able to add Malcom Smith to the linebacking corps. He’s not grading out well against the run, but he’s been solid against the pass, even though he allowed a touchdown this past week.
Smith had four tackles in the victory and grades out as PFF’s 13th best linebacker of the 76 players at the position who received a grade.
5. Terrance Mitchell
Terrance Mitchell led the defense with 10 tackles, but when one of your corners leads the team in takedowns, you know your defense is in trouble.
Mitchell really struggled in coverage during this one, taking a grade of 43.6. For the season, Mitchell has a grade of 61.1, which ranks 50th among the 109 corners graded by PFF.
It was a little surprising to see Mitchell ranked so low 1/4 of the way through the season, because he’s not someone you notice making a ton of mistakes. That said, his current grade of 61.5 is the worst of his career.
Fellow corner Denzel Ward saved the defense with the late pick of Dak Prescott, but as you’ve seen, the stocks are down almost cross the board for the defense.
For the season, Ward is PFF’s fifth rated corner.