5 Cleveland Browns whose stock is down at the Week 9 Bye.
The Cleveland Browns leave the bye week with a 5-3 mark, as the franchise will try and lock down a playoff Bert for the first time since the 2002 season.
While Browns fans should be ecstatic that their team is in true contention for the first time since 2007, there’s a salty feeling among card carrying members of the Dawg Pound who know better: The Browns have beaten bad teams, while getting waxed by the elite teams in the conference.
Kevin Stefanski and company can flip the script in the second half, though, as Cleveland will get another crack at the Ravens and Steelers–this time on the shore of Lake Erie.
While compiling this list, fans will be reminded of an offseason in which the team invested heavily in the offense. The organization has to make a decision on Baker Mayfield in the not-so-distant future, and new GM Andrew Berry didn’t waste a minute in building up the offensive side of the ball.
Here’s five Browns who saw their stocks take a dive through the first eight games of the season.
1. Larry Ogunjobi
The biggest problem with Larry Ogunjobi has been his inability to generate a pass rush from the inside. It’s not his primary job responsibility, but his lack of production in the area is concerning.
He flashed considerably in this department as a rookie, which is why it’s been disappointing to see him falter the past two seasons.
Well, if he’s not taking down quarterback, he’s at least stopping the run, right?
Um, it’s not great. The UNC Charlotte product has the worst grades of his career in run defense and tackling. PFF gave him a first half grade of 54.6, which is considered “replaceable.” His run defense grade was only slightly better than his overall mark (60.1).
If the Browns are going to have a shot at knocking off the Ravens are Steelers, they’re going to have to stop the run. That’s what it takes to win in the AFC North. And if Ogunjobi can’t do it, you’ve got to worry about the Browns chances about getting the upper hand on their rivals in the 2020 re-matches.
Ogunjobi will be coming due for an exertion soon, but I’m not sure how they can move forward with it if his level of play remains the same.
2. Mack Wilson
The linebacker position was going to be weak. Everybody knew it. It was the only conclusion to draw after the Browns let Joe Schobert walk in free agency, while also cutting Christian Kirksey before the draft.
But the front office had to be expecting more from second-year vets Mack Wilson and Sione Takitaki.
Wilson didn’t play or the first month of the season as he worked his way back from a brutal knee injury in training camp. He eased his way back in against the Cowboys, but as his playing time has ramped up, the production just hasn’t been there.
Wilson was given a dreadful mark of 29.1 from PFF. He’s at a 29.9 clip against the run and 35.7 mark defending the pass. For what it’s worth, his play against the run and in coverage was considered to be “replacement level” during his rookie campaign.
Big things were expected from Wilson in year two. Perhaps the knee injury got him off track. Hopefully, we’ll see a different player in the final eight weeks.
3. Olivier Vernon
Except from a blip in a loss to the Raiders in Week 8 where he recorded two sacks, the casual fan would be hard pressed to know Olivier Vernon is on the team.
There were questions surrounding Vernon going into the season, but the Browns re-worked his deal after it became clear Clowny wouldn’t be signing here. By the way, good thing the Browns dodged that bullet, right? He has zero sacks and was inactive this week.
As for Vernon, they got him to re-work his deal and take a little payout with the hope he’d return to Pro Bowl form. Unfortunately, the production is just not there on a consistent basis.
Cleveland has no consistent pass rush from its front four unless Myles Garrett is in the game. It’s a huge disappointment because when this line was constructed ahead of the 2019 season, the expectation was that the quartet would generate pressure, meaning the Browns could clog up the secondary on passing downs.
Hopefully Vernon’s two sacks against the Raiders serves as a precursor of what’s to be a stellar second half.
4. Karl Joseph
The safety position group was just a big need as linebacker this offseason, and the Browns tried to address it by drafting Grant Delpit. Unfortunately, a season ending injury to the LSU product nixed whatever plans the Browns may have had.
But even if Delpit was healthy, the expectation was that Joseph would start at strong safety. He did just that for four games, but then a hamstring injury took him out of commission for two weeks.
Since then, Ronnie Harrison has emerged at the spot and likely won’t relinquish it.
PFF gave Joseph a grade of 50.2 for the first half of the season, which is awful. Andrew Sendejo usually takes a beating for his play, but Joseph could easily be lumped in with him, as Joseph has replacement-level grades in coverage of tackling.
It’ll be interesting to see what the safety group looks like after the Bye. Joseph lost his starting gig to Harrison. Is Sendejo next?
5. Baker Mayfield
Through eight games, nobody yet knows if Baker Mayfield is a franchise quarterback.
I know, I know. No mini camp, no OTAs, another new coach. The odds have been stacked against the former No. 1 overall pick.
He looked super in one game: The Bengals. While beating Cincy is awesome, they’ve been worse than the Browns during Baker’s tenure. Of course those are games he should’ve won.
Against the Steelers and Ravens, well, Mayfield looked replaceable–and the analytics agree. Mayfield was the analytics darling coming out Oklahoma in 2018, yet his grade of 67.5 says he’s playing at a replacement level.
The play-action pass was supposed to be the thing that helped Mayfield take off under Stefanski, but to this point, the success hasn’t increased dramatically. He ranks sixth among NFL quarterbacks in the percentage of play-action snaps he takes, but his completion percentage only increased by 1.6 parent on those throws, compared to 10.1 in 2019, according to PFF.
Mayfield’s completed 61.4 percent of his passes, which is only slightly better than last season.
He’ll be the No. 1 storyline to watch in the final eight weeks as the Browns hunt a playoff berth. Will he lift his team up, or will he falter as he did in games against Baltimore and Pittsburgh?
Out of all the players here, he’s the candidate most likely to have his stock go up by season’s end.
The Browns knew Mayfield’s professional career has been hurt by the turmoil on the sidelines and in the front office, so they tried to build him up this offseason by fixing the line and adding weapons at tight end.
Unfortunately, he’s been more game manager than guy who can lead this team to a Super Bowl. That said, there’s plenty of time for him to change everyone’s mind.