Browns' Biggest Weaknesses Ahead of 2024 NFL Training Camp
The Cleveland Browns made a surprising run at the postseason in 2023, despite being saddled with numerous key injuries. The majority of Cleveland's core will return for the 2024 season, and, ideally, it will stay healthy in the upcoming campaign.
While the Browns weren't overly active in adding new pieces, they did manage to strengthen their roster by adding the likes of linebacker Jordan Hicks, receiver Jerry Jeudy and rookie defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr.
However, Cleveland isn't looking to just get back to the playoffs. It's chasing a Super Bowl and has undoubtedly used organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamp to identify any remaining weaknesses.
If Cleveland can't find answers on its own roster, it still has $12.7 million in cap space with which to work.
With training camp not much more than a month away, now's a perfect time to dive into the Browns' biggest remaining weaknesses heading into 2024.
Red-Zone Defense
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At this point in the offseason, teams are usually evaluating roster weaknesses. However, Cleveland's biggest liability last season was either schematic or systematic. Despite having a defense that ranked first in yards allowed, the Browns' red-zone defense was atrocious.
"We played really well in a lot of areas," defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz in May, per Jeff Schudel of The News-Herald. "Red zone wasn't one. We had too many mistakes there, and that's certainly an area that we can improve on,"
That's putting it mildly. Cleveland allowed opponents to convert 71.4 percent of their red-zone trips into touchdowns, the highest rate in the league by a significant margin.
It's impossible to consider this a personnel issue because the defense was so dependable between the 20s. It's a problem that Cleveland's core players, along with Schwartz, are going to have to sort out on the practice field and in the film room.
Unfortunately, that means that diving back into the free-agent pool won't provide a simple fix. The Browns must figure out what went wrong last season and spend an extreme amount of training-camp focus on addressing the issue.
Quarterback
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Let's be brutally honest here. Deshaun Watson hasn't been a top quarterback since being acquired via trade in 2022. In fact, he's rarely been serviceable. While Watson does have an 8-4 record with the Browns, he's thrown for only 2,217 yards with 14 touchdowns, nine interceptions and an 81.7 quarterback rating.
Cleveland opted not to retain Joe Flacco, who led the team on a late 2023 surge and into the postseason—and the fact that the offense operated more smoothly with the 39-year-old than it ever has with Watson is problematic. The Browns did add Jameis Winston, a fine spot-starter albeit turnover-prone, and Tyler Huntley this offseason.
However, if there's going to be a Super Bowl run in Cleveland's future, Watson has to return to the Pro Bowl form he last showed with the Houston Texans.
Unfortunately, Watson is still recovering from shoulder surgery as he tries to adapt to new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey's system. The good news is that the 28-year-old has shown glimpses of being healthy.
"To watch him unleash some of the missiles, you'd never know Watson underwent surgery just 6 1/2 months ago to repair a fractured shoulder socket and torn labrum in his throwing shoulder," Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com wrote during minicamp.
The bad news is that Watson hasn't been a full participant in practice on a daily basis. The Browns simply don't know when he'll be back to 100 percent or if he'll ever be the same playmaker he was in Houston.
Watson has been one of the least efficient quarterbacks in the NFL since becoming a Brown, and until/unless he changes the narrative, quarterback must be considered a weakness for Cleveland.
Tight End Depth
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The Browns have put all the pieces around Watson necessary for him to succeed. The offensive line is solid when healthy, Dorsey has worked with mobile quarterbacks in the past, and Cleveland has continually added to the receiver position.
The Browns also have a star tight end in David Njoku, who exploded with an 882-yard, six-touchdown Pro Bowl campaign in 2023.
However, getting production from the tight end spot could be almost entirely dependent on Njoku this season because the depth behind him is problematic. Cleveland lost Harrison Bryant in free agency and added little to replace him.
Jordan Akins is back as the primary backup, though he logged a mere 15 receptions in 2023. The Browns added Giovanni Ricci, who was mostly just a special-teams contributor for the Carolina Panthers.
Jeudy, Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, Cedric Tillman Jr. and rookie Jamari Thrash should give Cleveland a strong receiver group in 2024, but the Browns could be in serious trouble at tight end if Njoku misses and amount of playing time.
This is a position the Browns should have strengthened earlier in the offseason, as the free-agent market is down to role players like Geoff Swaim and Tyler Kroft. Don't be surprised if Cleveland looks to bolster the position as more players become available during roster cuts.
*Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference. Cap information via Spotrac.
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