Full Cleveland Browns Midseason Awards

It's the halfway point of the Cleveland Browns' 2015 season, so it's the perfect time to take stock of where things stand with the team. But instead of simply visiting all three phases of the game or each of the team's eight games to date, let's hand out some midseason player awards instead.

Even though the Browns are 2-6 and may be in shambles, there are individual efforts (or lack thereof) to reward. Here are the Browns players who deserve virtual trophies at the midpoint of the season.

Rookie of the Midyear: RB Duke Johnson

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Few rookies are doing a ton of work for the Browns thus far. A trio of defenders—Xavier Cooper, Nate Orchard and Danny Shelton—has gotten significant playing time but has yet to do much of note with it.

That's why midseason rookie of the year honors go to running back Duke Johnson, whom the Browns drafted in Round 3 this year. And it's not particularly for what he's done as a runner, either. Cleveland brought Johnson aboard not just to carry the ball but also to catch it, and the latter has been his biggest contribution so far this season.

Johnson has rushed 56 times for 179 yards and no touchdowns, with just one run of 20 or more yards. But he's caught 33 passes on 38 targets for 331 yards and a score, with four of his catches going for 20-plus yards, making him Cleveland's third-leading receiver. He also leads the team in yards after the catch with 211.

His usage isn't consistent, though. The Browns are handling rushing duties by committee, with Johnson splitting carries with Isaiah Crowell and Robert Turbin, and the team inexplicably did not include Johnson in their second-half offense in Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals. 

But when he has been on the field, he's made enough of a positive impact to be the Browns' top rookie at the halfway point.

Offensive Player of the Midyear: TE Gary Barnidge

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This award could also go to Browns receiver Travis Benjamin, given that he's the team's receiving leader with 601 yards on 38 receptions. But it's tight end Gary Barnidge who has been the most consistent on a week-to-week basis and has done more for Cleveland's offense, which narrowly has him edging out Benjamin for this award.

So far this season, Barnidge has caught 40 passes on 57 targets for 567 yards and six touchdowns. He has eight catches of 20-plus yards, accounting for 191 yards after the catch and 27 first downs. It's these touchdowns, after-catch yards and first downs that make him the team's top offensive player at the halfway point.

Third downs, too, are what make Barnidge stand out above all others. The NFL Network's Ben Fennell came up with some eye-opening statistics: Barnidge is first in the league on third-down touchdowns with five, third on third-down yardage with 247 and fourth in third-down receptions with 15. This is not among tight ends but all NFL skill position players this year.

Barnidge has been a proven playmaker this year. Benjamin may have the explosive speed and the greater yardage, but Barnidge is a mismatch to any and all opposing defenses, can move the chains like no one else in the offense and is a third-down asset. The trophy goes to the Barn Owl. 

Defensive Player of the Midyear: DE/LB Armonty Bryant

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The Browns opted to experiment with onetime defensive end Armonty Bryant this year, using him as a hybrid linebacker-end in the mold of the Baltimore Ravens' Terrell Suggs. And so far, it's been a success.

Bryant, who was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury in October 2014, has bounced back well in his new role. He has 22 combined tackles, five tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery and is the Browns' sacks leader with 3.5.

Honorable mentions certainly go to linebacker Karlos Dansby and safety Tashaun Gipson, who each have two interceptions so far this year, while Dansby is also the team's tackling leader. But Bryant has affected all phases of the game in a positive way while adding an air of unpredictability to the defense.

Combine that with his successful return from a serious injury and he's Cleveland's midseason top defender.

Most Valuable Player of the Half-Year: QB Josh McCown

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Quarterback Josh McCown is the Browns' most valuable player of the midyear. It's true.

Yes, the Browns are 2-6, and McCown has made mistakes to help lead them to such a poor record, namely his league-leading six fumbles lost. But there are many things he has done to keep the Browns in nearly every game they've lost, and the situation could be far worse without his contributions.

McCown has completed 65 percent of his 165 pass attempts—the 14th-best completion percentage in the league—for 1,897 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions while taking 22 sacks. With the passing offense being the only thing with a semblance of competency in Cleveland, McCown deserves more credit than he's getting.

The 22 sacks are a concern, as are the six fumbles—most of which have come while McCown was being taken down by opposing defenses. And for all of his contributions, the Browns only have two wins. But wins aren't on the quarterback alone—it's a team responsibility. And it's clear that McCown is at least doing all he can to make things better in Cleveland given the circumstances.

Best Veteran Signing of the Midyear: CB Tramon Williams

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It was obvious that the Browns weren't entirely comfortable with the prospect of starting one of their younger cornerbacks alongside Joe Haden when Buster Skrine left in free agency when they picked up veteran cornerback Tramon Williams in the spring. But it was easily the best veteran addition they've made so far this year.

Williams has been a full-time starter since Week 1 and has played 97.6 percent of the Browns' defensive snaps through Week 8, according to Pro Football Focus. He's been very strong in coverage, allowing only 26 completions on 55 passes thrown his way for 406 total yards, 117 yards after the catch and one touchdown. He has no interceptions, but that feels like more of a matter of time rather than an indictment of his ball-hawking skills.

Cleveland's secondary has had its share of struggles this year, but Williams has been a bright spot. He was a savvy signing and has delivered what was expected of him.

Worst Veteran Signing of the Midyear: WR Dwayne Bowe

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When the Browns signed free-agent receiver Dwayne Bowe during the offseason, he vowed he would fill the deep-threat shoes left vacant by the suspension of Josh Gordon and that he'd return to his 2010 form, when he scored 15 receiving touchdowns.

But he has come nowhere close through the halfway point of this season. First, a summertime hamstring injury kept Bowe out of most of training camp, the preseason and Week 1 of the regular season.

Then, after being active in Week 2 and catching no passes, he was a healthy scratch in Weeks 3, 5, 6 and 7, only getting back on the field in Week 8 thanks to a concussion suffered by Andrew Hawkins. Still, he played just seven snaps against the Arizona Cardinals, bringing his total on the year to a mere 19, based on Pro Football Focus' count.

For $12.5 million (and $9 million guaranteed), that's a whole lot of on-field nothing for the Browns in exchange for an expensive payday. To say the Bowe signing was a failure might be an understatement. 

For what it's worth, Hawkins and Brian Hartline are both in the NFL's concussion protocol and the Browns play on Thursday night. So this contest against the Cincinnati Bengals may be Bowe's best chance to play double-digit snaps for the first time this year. It just matters what he does with them—he has no catches on three targets at the moment—that will determine if he'll ever be of use to this offense this year.

Special Teams Player of the Midseason: P Andy Lee

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The Browns made another good move during the offseason by trading for former San Francisco 49ers' Pro Bowl punter Andy Lee. And there's little doubt he's been their best special teams player so far this season.

Lee has punted 39 times for 1,908 total yards or 48.9 yards per punt on average. His 16 punts that have landed within the 20-yard line are the fifth-most in the league, and while 21 of his punts have been returned for a total of 158 yards, that's a mere 7.5 yards per punt.

Field position is important in the NFL, especially for a team like the Browns that struggles on defense. A punter like Lee routinely pins opposing offenses deep in their own territory, giving Cleveland's defense as good a chance as possible to get stops. 

What the defense does with that is none of Lee's concern. But he's doing his job and doing it well. Therefore, the midseason award on special teams belongs to him.