Cleveland Brown Season Recap

AFC North	Finished 4th in Division
Overall Record: 1-15 (0-6 in division)	Draft Position: 1st
Head Coach: Hue Jackson	GM: Sashi Brown

Pro Bowlers

• LT Joe Thomas

2016 Rankings

	Yards/Game	Points/Game	Passing Yards/Game	Rushing Yards/Game
Offense	30th	31st	28th	19th	TDs – 29th
Defense	31st	30th	21st	31st	Sacks – T-30th	INTs – T-23rd

Top Passers

Name	Games Started	CMP. PCT.	Yards	TDs	INTs	Passer Rating	QBR
Cody Kessler	8	65.6	1,380	6	2	92.3	49.9
Josh McCown	3	54.5	1,100	6	6	72.3	35.5
Robert Griffin III	5	59.2	886	2	3	72.5	45

Top Rushers

Name	Rushing Yards	Y/A	TDs
Isaiah Crowell	952	4.8	7
Duke Johnson	358	4.9	1

Top Pass Catchers

Name	Receptions	Yards	Y/C	TDs
Terrelle Pryor	77	1007	13.1	4
Gary Barnidge	55	612	11.4	2

Top Defensive Players

LB Christian Kirksey - 148 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks

LB Demario Davis - 99 total tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble

DB Jamar Taylor, DB Joe Haden, DB Brien Buddy-Calhoun - 3 INTs each

DL Emmanuel Ogbah - 53 total tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks

Impending Free Agents

• DE Stephen Paea
• P Britton Colquitt
• G Austin Pasztor
• WR Terrelle Pryor
• OLB Jamie Collins
• FS Jordan Poyer
• QB Austin Davis

What I Said About Them Before the Season

• I projected that the Browns wouldn't win a game this year and I was only one fluky game away from being correct.  The team was pretty easy to predict as they were in the midst of a rebuild before the season and remain there today.

Success/Failure

• Failure - This team went 1-15 and probably should have gone 0-16; there is no way to consider that season a success.  That being said, Hue Jackson was in his first year as a head coach, and the team wasn't even trying to succeed this year.  They had $47 million in cap space so they chose not to spend money on free agents to be more competitive.  The Browns took some steps in the right direction this season but need help at most positions on their roster.  Their defense is still their best unit but has taken a step back from where it has been in recent years.  Regardless of this offseason, the Browns aren't going to be competitive next year but they could take some steps towards competitiveness by drafting well and spending their money efficiently this offseason.

Offseason Needs

• At this year's draft, the Browns will have the first overall pick and eight total picks.  There aren't really any positions that the Browns don't need to improve besides at left tackle where All-Pro Joe Thomas plays.  Mock drafts have the Browns taking defensive end Myles Garrett with the first overall pick, a selection that would greatly improve their pass rush.  They also have the twelfth overall pick where they are expected to take a cornerback, Teez Tabor out of Florida, a selection that would help with their struggles against the pass.  I think that taking Garrett first overall is an excellent move for the team but that there is a possibility that they trade down from their twelfth pick.  I think that the slot is a highly valued one and they could probably get another team's late first round pick plus a second round pick, which would really help Cleveland build for the future.  However, if they don't trade this pick away I think targeting offensive linemen instead of defensive backs would be a good option.  With the first overall pick I think that there is also a possibility that the Browns take defensive end Jonathan Allen, who is a disruptive player on the defensive line.  They need a quarterback desperately, as the combination of Josh McCown and Robert Griffin III didn't cut it, leaving Cody Kesler as their best option. The problem is that this year's draft isn't a very strong one for quarterbacks with Mitch Trubisky (who only started 12 games his entire college career) emerging as the best prospect at the position.  I think that until a clear franchise quarterback becomes available either in the draft or free agency, the Browns should work on strengthening the rest of their team, including their offensive line and a running back to take the pressure off a young quarterback.  That way, when the team finds the quarterback they believe in, they'll already have a solid team surrounding him which will give the team a chance to be competitive immediately.
• The Browns also have a lot of money to spend this offseason.  Overthecap.com's cap space tracker has the Browns having over $110 million in cap space next season, which seems outrageous considering that's nearly double the NHL salary cap.  If that is in fact the case, however, and the Browns have that much to spend (and they will have to make decisions on their free agents which will cut into this money), Cleveland could go after some of the biggest free agents this offseason.  These include Kirk Cousins (potentially, although Washington will probably franchise tag him first), DeSean Jackson, Brandon LaFell, several offensive linemen, and a lot of talent on defense.  If Cleveland wanted to, they could field a fairly competitive roster next year provided they are able to draft well and land a few of these potential free agents.  I think that the future could be getting brighter for the franchise.

*All stats and information come from espn.com, nfl.com, pro-football-reference.com, rosterresource.com, spotrac.com, overthecap.com, and cbssports.com