4 Former Browns Failing Miserably With Their New Teams in 2023

3. Deion Jones, LB, Carolina Panthers 

Last season, the Browns defense was an absolute mess. They were constantly struggling with communication and they were guilty of giving up one deep ball after another. By Week 2, they had already fallen apart following a fourth quarter collapse against Joe Flacco and the New York Jets. Despite a 13-point lead with less than two minutes to go, the Browns found a way to lose that game.

Afterward, they had a "player's only meeting," something that had never been done so early in a season. As has always been the case with these, the players continued to struggle as the communication between them and the coaching staff appeared to have died.

In addition to the finger-pointing and complaining, the Browns also had several injuries to deal with. They lost Anthony Walker, Jr. for the year meaning they were without their vocal leader and middle linebacker. In an effort to replace him, they added Deion Jones in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons.

A former star linebacker, Jones isn't the same player he once was but he did a decent job with Cleveland. In 11 games, he had 44 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and an interception. Still, he wasn't brought back for another year. Instead, he signed with the Carolina Panthers where he was originally released to start the season.

Jones was added to the practice squad and eventually promoted but still hasn't had a great campaign. He's appeared in eight games with three starts and has 21 tackles and one pick. PFF has him ranked 71st at the position which is a far cry from what we saw back in 2016 and 2017 when he was one of the biggest names in the game.