Can you say 7-10?

This will be a bridge season for the Browns, a.k.a. the Bridge to DeshaunWatson. It will not be enjoyable.

With Jacoby Brissett in charge of the offensive huddle for the first 11 games (assuming he remains healthy), bear in mind one very important thought: Brissett is as journeyman quarterback. And journeyman quarterbacks rarely do well.

The overall talent, for most part, is there on offense, but that's with expectations the offensive line and receiving corps overachieve. The quarterback will not be a difference maker. 

The defense, as it was the second half of last season, will be the Browns' only hope to return to the postseason. The offense, even though Watson will be back for the final six games, will need him to be perfect. Don't expect it. Not this season.

He's good, but not that good. It will be damn near impossible to shake off the rust he has accumulated over his nearly two-year absence from the game. His main contributions will arrive beginning next season.

The biggest enemy for head coach Kevin Stefanski will be the schedule. Not the first four games, three of which should produce victories. It's the next seven that will determine where they wind up. And whether Brissett can shed the journeyman tag and salvage the season.

It's a gauntlet that includes the Los Angeles Chargers, New England, division rivals Baltimore and Cincinnati, Miami, Buffalo and Tampa Bay, all but one with quarterbacks better than Cleveland's and legitimate shots at football in mid-to-late January.

The Browns cannot emerge with anything less than three victories to have anything resembling hope. That's not going to happen. The defense will not help them this season. It will be on fumes by the time Watson returns.

The consensus in the media, it seems, hovers on 9-8 and 8-9 territory record-wise after the season finale in Pittsburgh. The hopeful me says 8-9 at best. The pragmatic me, though, comes in at 7-10, Watson booking three of the victories with four of the final six games on the road.

Which gives birth to the notion Watson will be one of the leading contenders for National Football League Comeback Player of the Year next season. 

The season opener -- Yikes!

It's that time of the year for the Browns, the time when the emotional tone for an entire season is set, at least theoretically, that can make a huge difference between ultimate success and abject failure.

Game One. 

The first game out of the starting gate of a season has been nothing even close to resembling success for the Browns since the National Football League made up for its grievous mistake that cost Cleveland its franchise for three very long seasons more than two decades ago.

It has been nearly 24 years now since the Pittsburgh Steelers welcomed the Browns back to the league in 1999 with a 43-0 shellacking in Cleveland. No one knew it at the time, probably because they were so happy to get football back, but that loss has set a nightmarish emotional tone for the last 23 years.

Rather than delineate the specifics of opening games during that period of time, all you need to know is the Browns have overwhelmed the opening opponent just once, underwhelmed 21 others and whelmed one. The 21-21 tie with Pittsburgh in 2018 halted a 14-game opening-game losing streak and was thus celebrated as a victory at the time.

Since then, the Browns have strung three more season-opening losses in a row to now give them a 17-game winless streak entering Sunday's visit to Carolina for the dreaded (for Browns fans) season opener. For the record, this will be their seventh opener on the road, where they are 0-6.

That's right, the Browns are 1-15-1 at home entering game two. They have scored 333 points (14.48 points a game) and allowed 603 (26.22) against 14 different opponents. Carolina becomes No. 15.

Again for the record (or just in case you didn't commit it to memory), it was a 20-3 victory over Baltimore on Sept. 12, 2004. Butch Davis was the head coach, Jeff Garcia threw one scoring pass and ran for another score and Phil Dawson kicked two field goals. Ah for the good, old days.

By the way, the Browns finished 4-12 that season, one of 20 -- 20!! -- losing seasons in the inglorious history of what once was one of the bellwether franchises in the NFL. Oh, and Davis quit about two-thirds of the way through the season.

So anyone daring enough to think the Browns will knock off the Panthers and Baker Mayfield Sunday is either playing fast and loose with their prediction record this season, a homer or isn't paying attention to history.

The odds, of course, favor the Browns even though oddsmakers have made them point-and-a-half underdogs. Why? Because they're way overdue to win. Why not today against a franchise that has won just 10 games the last two seasons, losing the last seven last season, and is coached by Matt Rhule, a successful college coach now barely hanging on to his job?

Aren't the Browns the better team from a personnel standpoint? Yep. Not even close. And a coaching standpoint? Uh huh. And a motivational standpoint? Can't argue that, either. Returning to the postseason is the Browns' goal. 

So why are the Panthers favored? Two reasons: Home field and Mayfield. 

This is the game the ex-Cleveland quarterback no doubt pointed toward mere moments after the Browns agreed to trade him to the Panthers in early July. It will be his only opportunity for at least a few years to prove they made a mistake by giving up on him last season.

It doesn't take much to motivate Mayfield. He is a self-starter to begin with and playing a revenge game against his ex-teammates just adds fuel to his inner fire. 

Remember the home upset over Atlanta in his rookie year when he threw three touchdown passes and had a near-perfect quarterback rating in week 10? And what he said after that game? Lemme refresh your memory. "I just woke up (this morning) feeling real dangerous," he said.

It's the Cleveland defense's job Sunday to make certain dangerous is not the adjective Mayfield uses following the game. And it's that defense that also must neutralize Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey, who is just as dangerous catching the football as running it. He makes Mayfield more, uh, dangerous.

The Cleveland secondary, which lost starting cornerback Greedy Williams to injured reserve a couple of days ago, is still in good shape with Greg Newsome II filling in outside and either A.J Green or rookie Martin Emerson Jr. in the slot.

Look for the peerless Myles Garrett of the Browns to renew acquaintances with Mayfield on a regular basis along with Jadeveon Clowney, and the secondary to swipe two passes in what figures to be a low-scoring game with kicking quite possibly being the difference in the outcome.

I see the Panthers' defense squeezing the field on Cleveland quarterback Jacoby Brissett, shutting down the Cleveland ground game and daring him to throw deep. And with the weak Browns receiving corps, that's an invitation to trouble.

Points will not come easily in the game for either team with strong red-zone defense by both teams, thrusting kickers Eddy Pineiro and Cleveland rookie Cade York front and center. This one very well could be decided by which team has the football last.

With Mayfield unable to achieve danger status, Brissett failing to get into the end zone and McCaffery scoring the game's only touchdown on a short run late in the first half, it'll be Pineiro vs. York in a field-goal battle.

York's leg will put up all the Cleveland points, but it will be Pineiro's 31-yard dagger as time runs out that prolongs the Browns' curious and maddening inability to win the opening game of the season. Make it:

Panthers 16, Browns 15

The real Baker Mayfield

Before starting, let's get one thing perfectly straight: The Baker Mayfield we all see Sunday against the Browns in the regular-season opener down in North Carolina in absolutely no way will resemble the Baker Mayfield we all saw the majority of last season.

He will resemble the quarterback who led Cleveland to its first appearance in the National Football League's postseason in nearly two decades. He will resemble the riverboat gambler/gunslinger/swashbuckler who captured the imagination of -- and was beloved by -- the fans.

He was the franchise quarterback this team longed for since being reborn in 1999. He was the face of that franchise. National television commercials. A national presence. He was The Man and enjoying every moment.

Until one unfortunate incident in game two last season that turned what had been a season that began with exciting thoughts of a Super bowl into a nightmare. 

Mayfield, who initially injured the shoulder trying to make a tackle after throwing an interception, absorbed a vast majority of the blame after that with performances that were antithetical to what fans had witnessed in his first three seasons. That's when he was -- wait for it -- healthy. 

The real blame should have been distributed between the Browns' medical staff, which allowed Mayfield to play with a shredded labrum in his left shoulder and other minor injuries, and management, which should have known better and shut him down.

As long as he wasn't dead, it seemed, no reason to sit him. He was a half cripple (football style) who was sent out to play a collision sport and was a dismal failure statistically. 

He had no business going out there playing with a harness to protect the bad shoulder. It was so obvious he was not the same quarterback for the remainder of the season. He seemed to concentrate on not getting injured more seriously than on executing plays.

Mayfield's normal high confidence level cratered. To boot, head coach Kevin Stefanski, probably figuring the medical staff greenlighted Mayfield, game-planned to throw the ball more instead of relying on his terrific ground game.

The offensive line, which would much prefer run blocking than the more tiring pass blocking, wore down. The sacks and losses mounted. Nerves frayed. Mayfield on a couple occasions broke a cardinal rule and publicly (correctly) criticized his head coach's playcalling after games.  

Not once, though, did he use his numerous injuries as an excuse for his feeble performances. That was the testosterone taking over. His teammates admired the courage he showed to soldier on. It became worse with each game until he finally chucked it in after being sacked an embarrassing nine times by Pittsburgh in the penultimate game.

By then, as it was later revealed during the signing of Deshaun Watson, the Browns' (sarcasm alert) brilliant (end sarcasm alert) ownership had quietly decided to move on from Mayfield. And then the acrimony commenced when the Browns actively pursued Watson.

Now here we are, mere days before Mayfield's so-called revenge game that will be overhyped because that's what the media does in situations like this. He's a veteran of situations like this.

There's the Ohio State revenge while at Oklahoma; the Texas Tech revenge; and lest we forget the Hue Jackson revenge after the ex-Browns coach joined division rival Cincinnati shortly after being fired in midseason.

Sunday, we'll see a (reportedly) perfectly healthy Mayfield commanding the huddle for the Panthers. He admits this game will be extra special for him rather than hide behind some phony reason it's just another game that no one would believe to begin with.

He entered training camp a couple of months ago with the knowledge he and Sam Darnold would battle for the starting job, Panthers coach Matt Rhule just going through the coaching motions. Of course he won it. He is, by far, the better quarterback. 

Browns fans might not recognize him Sunday.

Breakdown Part 2

In placing the Browns under a microscope for the 2022 National Football League season, they have been found here lacking in the offensive essentials that could lead to a return to the postseason. Now it's time to examine the defense and special teams.

In what was easily the surprise of last season's extremely disappointing season, the lone bright spot was a defense that recovered beautifully from a rocky beginning and ranked among the top 10 teams in the second half when the games counted the most.

After the first six games of the season, during which the Cleveland defense upchucked 151 points (25.6 a game), fans began writing obituaries for defensive coordinator Joe Woods. All they needed was a little more patience for the second-year coordinator.

That's because Woods turned his unit from Mr. Hyde into Dr. Jekyll and, with one exception, kept the Browns relevant to the point during the season where any kind of spark generated by the offense would have translated into playoff football for the second season in a row.

Working with a unit that was almost completely remade by General Manager Andrew Berry, Woods' defense limited the opposition to just 210 points, or 19 a game, the rest of the way. Throw out a 45-7 thrashing by New England in week 10 and the average dives to just 16.5 points a game.

That's what fans can look forward to this season. The best part is a vast majority of that young defense returns. Ostensibly, they can only get better. But they first must overcome a significant weakness that wasn't there last season.

Woods had the luxury the last two seasons of working with a defense that actually stopped the run. They limited the opposition to just 111 and 109 yards a game in those campaigns. Not great, you say? Arguable. Prior to Woods' arrival, the Cleveland defense regurgitated 135 and 145 yards a game the previous two seasons.

But from all indications, a return to an inability to neutralize opposing ground games looms with a very, very questionable defensive tackle corps of Taven Bryan, Jordan Elliott, Tommy Togiai and rookie Perrion Winfrey. 

Bryan was cut by Jacksonville, Elliott is sliding awfully close to being a bust, Togiai is nothing more than a spot performer and Winfrey, who talks a big game, has a great chance to step up and back it all up. Thus, a return to awful run defense is imminent, offering Woods' biggest challenge this season.

Other than that, the Cleveland defense, which once again will have to rescue the offense most of the season, is solid. 

Whether it's harassing quarterbacks -- 50 sacks is not an unrealistic goal -- with the likes of Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, Chase Winovich and rookie Alex Wright or a very active group of linebackers in Anthony Walker Jr., Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Sione Takitaki and Jacob Phillips or one of the best and deepest secondaries in the NFL, this unit has numerous playmakers.

The 10-man secondary, led by native Clevelander Denzel Ward, is very flexible and versatile. Ward, a lockdown cornerback, most likely will pair with Greedy Williams outside with Greg Newsome II, a future Pro Bowler who played outside most of last season, slipping into the slot.

Solid depth off the bench from A.J. Green and rookie Martin Emerson Jr., who also can play the slot, gives Woods some of that versatility with little dropoff in talent.

John Johnson III and the rapidly improving Grant Delpit man the safeties with Ronnie Harrison Jr. often inserted when Woods likes to employ a big three-safety look. 

Special teams this season promise to be more special than last season mainly because Cade York has brought stability -- and an expected abundance of points for a struggling offense -- to the kicking game. It appears the rookie is golden from at least 55 yards and who knows how much beyond that.

The newest punter is Corey Bojorquez, a five-year veteran who averages 45,6 yards a boot, but has landed just 41% of his punts inside the 20-yard line. The latter figure needs to improve. The almost perfect Charley Hughlett returns as the long snapper. Can't remember his last bad snap.

How the return teams perform is the lone mystery in that phase of the game. Last season, those teams ranked among the worst in the NFL. Guess that means it can only get better. 

Next: Predicting the season

Breakdown Part 1

With the 2022 season opener just a few days away, time to take a look at the Browns' roster that will attempt to recreate the 2020 season and their first playoff appearance in nearly 20 years.

This is a richly talented team on paper at most positions, but there are weaknesses at a few vital ones on both sides of the football that might make it difficult to achieve their goals. The two-day exploration begins with the offense.

At quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, whose reputation as a starting quarterback is spotty at best, will handle the huddle in the first 11 games while Deshaun Watson serves his well-deserved suspension. That's a problem, if for no other reason than Brissett's talents hinder this offense. 

He is, at best, a game manager. Hand the football off to a terrific set of running backs. Check. Keep mistakes to a minimum. Check. Ball control is mandatory. Check. Throw the ball deep to keep defenses honest. Uh, nope. Not gonna happen. Brissett is too erratic at airing it out.

The National Football League, however, is a predominantly passing league, somewhere around 65% of the time. One of the Browns' greatest attributes is running the football as often as 50% of the time. Grind-it-out, bleed-the-clock, beat-them-up football. They do it better than just about any NFL team. 

The best quarterback for this offense, though, will not be available for nearly three months. Until then, be ready for head coach Kevin Stefanski's boring football with second- and third-and-short the primary goal on every possession. 

The running backs room is dynamic with Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, D'Ernest Johnson Jr. and rookie Jerome Ford, who flashed in the exhibition season. Chubb and Hunt are long bone-crushing touchdown runs waiting to happen. Johnson is one of the best in the NFL off the bench. Abundant talent here.

Can't say the same about the wide receivers, though. A room thisclose to being desperate. Outside of savvy veteran Amari Cooper, there isn't a playmaker in that room. Brissett needs help. He won't get it with this crew unless rookie David Bell lives up to his college reputation of catching everything.

Everywhere else, there is either frustrating inconsistency -- Donovan Peoples-Jones and Anthony Schwartz -- or inexperience with rookie Michael Woods II. General Manager Andrew Berry must be looking at this group through rose-colored blinders if he is satisfied.

Brissett also will be targeting tight ends David Njoku and Harrison Bryant for the most part with newly signed Jesse James handling the blocking when he gets his limited reps. Njoku, another inconsistent performer who was puzzlingly richly rewarded in the offseason for not sure what, is expected to get most of the attention unless Stefanski realizes Bryant is more talented at actually catching the football.

And now the offensive line, which was one of the best in the NFL as recently as a couple of years ago. No longer is that the case with the exception of the exceptional guard tandem of Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller. If right tackle Jack Conklin is totally healed from major surgery and his usual All-Pro self, the picture dramatically improves.

The weaknesses reside in the middle with Ethan Pocic filling in for Nick Harris, out for the season with a substantial knee injury, and at left tackle with Jedrick Wills Jr, who has been threatening for two seasons now to be worthy of the club's first-round pick in 2020. He hasn't come close in either phase of the offense. 

Offensive line coach Bill Callahan, who recommended Wills when two-time Pro Bowler Tristan Wirfs was available (and drafted three picks later by Tampa Bay), has a lot of work to do to make up for that mistake.

The 6-6 Pocic. signed to back up the 6-0 Harris after the Browns foolishly released veteran center JC Tretter, their best offensive lineman last season, lacks the quickness you want from your pivot in the ground game. Being able to move up to the second level is not his forte.

Bottom line: The disjointed season, at least from a quarterback standpoint, will force the defense to be the major player if a return to the postseason ever becomes a reality. This offense, at least for the first 11 games, won't score many points. 

Next: The defense and special teams

Catching up: Part 3

There is no question the National Football League caved when it agreed to suspend Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson for just 11 games a couple of weeks ago for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

It was clearly a compromise, falling roughly between the league's desire for a one-year suspension and subsequent reinstatement and the original six-game suspension handed down by new league adjudicator Sue L. Robinson after 24 massage therapists filed civil suits against Watson for sexual misconduct.

The league generously labeled the settlement "significant, definitive, immediate and final." Taking a stab at reading between the lines, the league was pissed it didn't get its way, but did not want to enter a messy and lengthy legal jungle in the event the NFL Players Association threatened legal action.

The punishment did not fit the human crime, as opposed to a prosecutorial crime. What Watson did was predatory and aberrant. He should have known better. Problem was that possibility never entered his mind. 

He does not think what he did warranted any punishment. There is not a scintilla of remorse in his words. He said his only regret was hurting those either related to him or close to him professionally. Even after the settlement was announced, he stood firm that he did nothing wrong.

He just does not get it. And most likely never will. 

Co-owner Jimmy Haslam III believes otherwise. "I think we've seen him recognize some things he wished he'd done differently," he said. "Some positions he wished he'd not put himself into." Really? How? In what way?

Apparently, he did not hear his quarterback insist he had done nothing wrong. Nothing. 

Part of the settlement requires Watson to undergo therapy. Why bother? That'll be a waste of time. If he doesn't get it now, he never will. You think one day he'll suddenly open his eyes and declare, "What have I done?" Uh, no.

Co-owner Dee Haslam doesn't agree.."I do think in counseling Deshaun will grow to learn about himself," she said. No he won't. If he hasn't up to now, he's a lost cause. Therapy won't  help. His total focus now is resuming his football career, not rehabilitating himself from a personal behavior standpoint.

Watson is a very fortunate young man. He just doesn't know it. The NFL had the right idea of making the punishment as severe as possible to set a precedent -- and act as a deterrent -- that nothing like this would ever happen again. 

The saddest part of this little saga, which will carry on well beyond Watson's stay in Cleveland, is the stain it has planted on this heretofore model franchise. Watson's mere presence on the roster, in and of itself, is a stain. 

It has caused more than a few rabid Browns fans who have been following this team for as long as 50 or more years to choose either to follow another team on moral grounds or bow out until the stench of Deshaun Watson wears a different uniform.

Jimmy Haslam, perhaps unwittingly, revealed the real reason Watson is now a Cleveland Brown. "I think it's important to remember Deshaun is 26 years old and is a high-level NFL quarterback and we're  planning on him being our quarterback for a long time."

Spoken like an desperate NFL owner with blinders on whose moral judgment has come into question the last six months. Forget about those 24 women. It almost as though they are incidental in the big picture.

Catching up, Part 2

Today, the defense and Baker Mayfield share the spotlight. . . . 

If the Browns are to become a major player in how close they get to the postseason this season, the defense will have to play a large role. 

The offense will operate with a sizable handicap for the first 11 games, counting heavily on a career backup quarterback to shepherd his side of the football to success until the man they traded a small fortune (and their souls) for is allowed to play again in a regular-season game. Points will come hard this season.

That alone puts pressure on a defense that reacted positively last season to the seemingly daily drama that dragged down the offense to the point where it became almost impossible to win in spite of a Herculean effort to salvage what eventually became an 8-9 campaign.

The best part is practically everyone who either started or significantly contributed returns from a unit that finished strong in the second half after a staggering start. The lone exception is defensive tackle. That will be addressed in a little bit.

Two of the most vital elements of a successful pass defense are firmly in place with a strong and relentless pass rush and one of the deepest secondaries in the National Football League. That cannot be minimized in the pass-happy league.

Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney, arguably one of the best quarterback-disturbing tandems in the NFL, rung up 25 sacks and 52 QB hits last season. To bolster the position, General Manager Andrew Berry drafted Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas and traded for New England's Chase Winovich. No worries there.

Joe Woods' biggest problems lies inside at tackle, where inexperience and mediocrity take up residence.  Last season, the defensive coordinator relied heavily on young Malik McDowell and veteran Malik Jackson. McDowell played surprisingly well in his first pro season, but had serious issues off the field in the offseason and was not invited back. Jackson is back out on the street. And that leaves . . . 

Previous draftees Tommy Togiai and Jordan Elliott, free-agent signee Taven Bryan and rookie Perrion Winfrey, who form the room whose main job is to make it difficult for the opposition to run the football. Elliott has booked two below-average seasons, Togiai was so-so at best last season. Bryan was cut by Jacksonville. And Winfrey has yet to back up his boastful nature.

Unless Berry decides changes need to be made, look for Pittsburgh (Najee Harris), Cincinnati (Joe Mixon) and Baltimore (J. K. Dobbins) twice each, along with Carolina (Christian McCaffrey), Los Angeles Chargers (Austin Ekeler), Buffalo (Devin Singletary), New Orleans (Alvin Kamara) and Tampa Bay (Leonard Fournette) to rumble freely this season.

That's 11 of the 17 games in a sport where mastery on the ground generally winds up in victories. History shows football rewards teams that control the ball and bleed time off the clock. 

That makes it almost incumbent for Woods to play the talented linebackers in his 4-2-5 base alignment a little closer to the line of scrimmage to plug running lanes. Anthony Walker Jr., Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Jordan Phillips, who has threatened for two seasons now to bust out, figure to pile up numerous reps  At least two will lead the team in tackling.

Also look for the secondary, where cornerback Martin Emerson Jr, and undrafted safety D'Anthony Bell are the only rookies in the 10-man room, to improve on last season's below-average 13 interceptions. It is stocked with young veterans like corners Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II, safeties John Johnson III and Grant Delpit and depth off the bench from Greedy Williams, Ronnie Harrison Jr., and A.J. Green. 

As it stands now, the Cleveland defense is two experienced tackles away from at least matching last season's group. 

And now, the Further Adventures of Baker Mayfield . . . 

As if the regular-season opener for the Browns down in Carolina a week from Sunday against their former quarterback isn't fascinating and ironic at the same time enough to begin with, he who just couldn't resist had to add even more spice to the game.

Shortly after the Panthers throttled the Buffalo Bills in the final exhibition game of the season last Friday night. Mayfield addressed the Browns game with Cynthia Frelund, an NFL Network analyst doubling as a sideline reporter for the Bills network.

"I'm going to f-ck them up," Frelund said Mayfield told her during the post-game conversation, sharing the incident during an "Around the NFL" podcast a few nights later. She did not use the actual curse word on the air, subbing it with bleep.

"I don't say curse words on air," she said. "I do not want to get into trouble." Too late. She broke the cardinal rule of becoming the story. It went viral and of course immediately became bulletin-board material.

I've been around long enough to know bulletin-board stuff is overrated. Makes a nice angle for a story, but way overrated in the trash-talk era. 

To make matters worse, if that's possible, Mayfield came out and denied everything. "First, I didn't say it," he declared. "Obviously, everyone is going to write whatever story they want. There's history I've played there the last four years.

"I'm an extremely competitive person. Everybody knows that. If I was'n't wanting to win, then there would be a really big issue.with me being the quarterback here. That'll never change. That is not how I phrased it. It's not even what I said."

Believe that? I don't. Of course he said it. Because it sounded like something he would say. It's pure Baker Mayfield after a game when it takes time to wind down. This time, someone tattled on him when he probably believed the conversation was off the record.

No biggie. Numerous stories about the incident will no doubt be written and used as fodder on sports talk shows leading up to the game. It's entertaining. 

That's it. This has become boring.

Next: The Deshaun Watson outcome

Catching up

Lots to catch up on. The anticlimactic roster trimdown to the not-so-final 53; what to expect in Kevin Stefanski's third season; continued success on defense; the further adventures of Baker Mayfield; and the Deshaun Watson outcome. 

Too much to pack into one humongous -- and probably boring -- piece.  So let's do this one step at a time to keep the urge to reach for the No-Doz to a minimum, starting with the most recent event. The not-very-dramatic countdown to 53 for the Browns.

As expected, absolutely no surprises. Guessing the 53 was relatively easy. A lot of really good players on this roster return. Bottom line: If drafted by General Manager Andrew Berry, you are pretty much guaranteed a spot on the main roster at the beginning of the regular season. 

Berry has selected 24 players the last three lotteries, 22 of whom appear on the current 53. That number would undoubtedly be all 24 had centers Nick Harris and rookie Dawson Deaton not suffered major knee injuries within days of each other in training camp.

Which means a bloated 41.5% of the roster has earned the Andrew Berry Seal of Approval. But of those 22, only eight (grudgingly) have become starters or vital contributors -- Greg Newsome II, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Grant Delpit, Jordan Elliott  and rookie Martin Emerson Jr. on defense and only Jedrick Wills Jr., Donovan Peoples-Jones (grudgingly) and rookie David Bell on offense.

And with the Browns not selecting in the opening round again until 2025 (thank you very much, Deshaun Watson), the aftereffects of the big trade for the quarterback will not be felt for at least a couple of years. And they won't be pleasant.

This roster will be malleable, of course, probably right up until the season opening game a week from Sunday on the road against the Carolina Panthers. There are numerous weak spots that, if not seriously addressed, will become obvious quickly enough.

Right up at the top on either side of the football is an almost embarrassing lack of talent in the wide receivers room, populated by Amari Cooper, who might receive triple coverage this season, three incredibly mediocre (and that's being charitable) talents and a rookie (David Bell) with a reputation of actually holding on to a thrown forward pass.

The same cannot be said for Peoples-Jones, who is beginning to look alarmingly like the underachieving player he was in college at Michigan; Anthony Schwartz, whose hands are not nearly as productive as his world-class speed legs and feet; and rookie Michael Woods II, whose talent is unknown because he was hurt during most of training camp.

This is the group Berry and Stefanski apparently like. What other logical conclusion can be reached by their continued presence. With other aging veterans still on the street leading up to training camp, the Browns chose to stick with this crew. 

Gotta feel for Jacoby Brissett who will keep the starting quarterback's seat warm for the first 11 games while Watson completes his suspension. He is, at best, a backup National Football League quarterback. Do not expect much from him.

All the glowing reports fans are fed from training camp about how well he is looking during practices are mere fodder. Now that the regular season is just around the corner, watch how opposing defenses squeeze the field on him, take away the short- and medium-range stuff and dare him to throw deep. Avert your eyes when that happens.

As for other aspects of the passing game, look for Stefanski to rely heavily on screen passes, outlet passes, slants and quick outs with running backs Kareem Hunt, D'Ernest Johnson (unless he's traded), Demetric Felton and rookie Jerome Ford heavily involved.

Because it's Brissett and not Watson in the first 11 games, Stefanski most likely will apply heavy doses of the ground game (maybe as many as half the playcalls) to win the possession battle with the talents of the peerless Nick Chubb, Hunt, Johnson and Ford.

And with just two tight ends in David Njoku and Harrison Bryant available, it will be interesting to see how the head coach assimilates them into the offense, which featured three tights more than any other NFL team last two seasons. He might start by targeting Bryant more than he has the last two seasons. 

But it's the grunts up front who will have to make it all happen. The success or failure of the running game depends heavily on their performance. Now factor in the quality of this season's offensive line falls well short of the last two seasons with weaknesses at center and left tackle, unless Wills decides to show why the Browns made him their No. 1 pick in 2020.

I see the club regretting -- without admitting it publicly -- releasing veteran center JC Tretter earlier this year. Berry and Stefanski boast about the versatility on the bench to step right in in the event center Ethan Pocic goes down. Wishful thinking.

Tretter was one of the top three centers in the league last season, and certainly the club's best offensive lineman, before being cashiered. He's still out there, too, after retiring. All it takes is a phone call.

Next: The defense and Baker.

This and that

Random thoughts . . . 

The first time I saw Kareem Hunt run the football for the Browns, my first thought was he is as good as Nick Chubb. Maybe even better.

That seemed ludicrous, I also reasoned, because Chubb is clearly one of a small number of truly elite running backs in the National Football League. Yes, Hunt won the league rushing title as a rookie with Kansas City, but he knows his place in Cleveland. It's behind Chubb on the depth chart.

So when running backs coach Stump Mitchell the other day pretty much placed Chubb and Hunt on the same level in many ways, it was gratifying to hear someone with much greater knowledge agree with the initial assessment.

Both men are physical at the point of attack. Hunt is a slasher. Has a quicker change of direction. Chubb is a pounder. He doesn't seek contact, but has more trouble avoiding it. Both are fast and extremely difficult to bring down. 

Mitchell, however, leans toward Hunt with regard to potential. "You have not all seen the best of Kareem Hunt," he said. "By any stretch of the imagination. . . . He can be the best back in the league." Whoa! High praise, indeed. All the Greater Cleveland native needs, his coach said, is patience.

"Because of the type of player he is, he is aggressive. He just needs to be a little more patient and then he can be the best in the league. . . . He doesn't give his offensive linemen an opportunity sometimes to make blocks because he cuts too fast. . . . I've got to teach him to be a little more patient."

One can only imagine how lethal the Cleveland running game can be if head coach Kevin Stefanski employs both in the huddle on a regular basis. Recent history shows that is not likely going to be the case. An exception would be with Hunt lined up in the slot as a receiver.

Mitchell needs to lobby a little harder with his boss to pair Chubb and Hunt on a regular basis, especially with Deshaun Watson sidelined for who knows how long. Stefanski seems to be leaning toward employing a ground-heavy attack with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback.

***

I know it's only one exhibition game, hut if the Cleveland front office is not worried about the wide receivers room, something is wrong. At the risk of sounding repetitious, that room outside of veteran Amari Cooper is barren of the kind of talent required for this team.

There is no clear WR2. The wildly inconsistent Donovan Peoples-Jones is widely regarded as the favorite with rookie David Bell, supposedly recovered from a stress fracture in a foot, ready to challenge. But Bell is strictly a slot receiver. Where's the speed?

Anthony Schwartz provides it, but seems to be allergic to what he's paid to do -- catch the football. But he sure is fast. Ja'Marcus Bradley keeps hanging on. Michael Woods II and Mike Harley Jr. can't stay healthy. The jury is out on tall and slender Javon Wims.

Free agent Daylen Baldwin caught my eye in the Jacksonville pre -- oops, exhibition -- victory last weekend. He caught only three passes (on three targets) and all three resulted in first downs. The fact he caught all three gives him, at least in these eyes, a leg up on Schwartz.

General Manager Andrew Berry will see soon enough that he had better upgrade that room. A few free agents remain on the street. One can only guess what direction he'll head. He might be waiting for the final roster trims later this month for that upgrade because Watson will need it when (if?) he returns.

***

Watson couldn't have been any worse than he was in the Jacksonville victory. Time to watch how Stefanski covers for his new quarterback. He has already started with Watson regarding missed opportunities, this time with two of his five attempts.

At times during the season, you will hear him suggest his quarterback (whoever that is) "would like to have that throw back" when disaster strikes. It was reminiscent of how he covered for Baker Mayfield when he struggled, particularly in the second half of last season. 

It is also somewhat amusing to hear how much better Watson looked in training camp a few days after Jacksonville. How relaxed and accurate he looked. Of course, he was throwing to receivers in designed-route drills with no one pressuring him.

That said, I come from the school that vastly overrates practices to begin with. Most coaches believe you play as you practice. Respectfully disagree. Good practices do not necessarily foretell good performances in games. I much prefer a player who plays better in games than in practice.

***

A personal note: Family matters will keep me away from this blog for a couple of weeks. I expect to return by the time final roster trims have been made.

An exhibition rant

The following comes with a warning label . . . 

Do not, under any circumstances, take seriously anything you witnessed in the exhibition football game Friday night between the Browns and Jacksonville Jagwires (yeah, I know). More on that in a bit.

But for now . . . 

The National Football League likes to call them pre-season games, which is technically correct because they are, indeed, played prior to the regular season. But what they are in reality are exhibitions, which they used to be called before some public relations flunky probably thought preseason sounded more politically correct.

These meaningless games are merely exercises in crafting rosters for games that count. Fans see mostly second- and third-stringers for the most part. The games are so meaningless, it appears as though the NFL is slowly reducing the number it schedules. 

The league craves more revenue and the likelihood of 18 regular-season games and just two exhibitions almost certainly will be on the table the next time the current Collective Bargaining Agreement ends.

The league played a six-game pre, er, exhibition schedule until 1978, when it was reduced to four. It stayed that way until last season when it shrunk to three games. Won't be long before teams pretty much determine the shape of their roster in training camp.

Side rant over. Now on to the Browns-Jags game. Again, do not draw conclusions based how it was performed. Most of you probably know more than a dozen Cleveland starters on both sides of the football were in street clothes.

The quality of the football was substandard, mostly because a good many of those who played will not see his name on the roster when the final cutdown to 53 players is announced because of the abundant talent already on it. With a few exceptions, they are displaying their talents for scouts of other NFL teams.

Yes, the Browns won, 24-13, overcoming a 13-0 early second-quarter deficit, a pair of rookies scoring all three touchdowns and rookie kicker Cade York tacking on a field goal. It provided a feel-good atmosphere in the locker room after the game, albeit meaningless.

There were a few highs, like the 76-yard pick six by rookie cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. in the final minute of the second quarter to give the Browns their first lead of the game at 14-13. Actually, it was more of a smash and grab interception, Emerson causing Jags receiver Jeff Cotton Jr. to bobble the football and then snatching it away and going the distance.

Then there's rookie running back Jerome Ford, who scored twice (once on acrobatic catch backing into the end zone) and looking like a young Nick Chubb with gobs of yards after contact. He touched the ball 14 times (10 runs), racking up 102 yards, but fumbled away the ball in the final quarter trying to gain extra yards.

He is not as quick as the last great Cleveland player to wear 34 (Greg Pruitt, with apologies to Kevin Mack), but his style is somewhat reminiscent in that he has instinctive lateral movement and seemingly good vision. If you don't get him early, he'll make you pay.

And now some notable lows, like the awful performance by Deshaun Watson in his first game action in 586 days. The rust he carried into the game had rust. Three series, eight snaps, five passes that counted, one completion of seven yards and minus eight net yards overall. He was erratic and did not look comfortable.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said he just wanted Watson to get the feel of playing the game after such a long layoff. But with the regular season about a month away, Jacoby Brissett will now get most of the reps in training camp and the remaining exhibitions when Watson serves his suspension, the length of which will soon be determined.

The Browns also lost center Nick Harris for the season on the second play of the game. The smallish Harris was bull-rushed and overwhelmed by Jags nose tackle DaVon Hamilton, the former Ohio State defensive tackle, and  his right knee buckled under the weight of his body.

Harris, the smallest center in the NFL at a pinky nail taller than six feet, was replaced by Ethan Pocic, one of the league's tallest centers at 6-6, who played well. He signed as a free agent a few months ago after being released by the Seattle Seahawks.

Stefanski was asked Saturday about possibly going after free agent JC Tretter, the veteran pivot released by the Browns earlier this year. "I will not comment on roster-type things," he said. "That is Andrew (General Manager Andrew Berry) and his crew. 

"But I do want to make note (that) Ethan did a nice job (against the Jags) and he has done a nice job since April. I am excited about what he can bring to the table." Translated:, Not a chance. For what it's worth, that's a mistake. Tretter, infinitely better than Pocic, was the Browns' best offensive lineman last season.  

One more lowlight: Anthony Schwartz. How many times do I have to say it for the Browns to realize it. He is a world-class sprinter disguised as a football player. Schwartz, now in his second NFL season, is listed as a wide receiver. He is a wide receiver in name only. 

Watson targeted him three times, overthrowing him badly on the first and then disgustedly watching him drop two easy -- so easy you and I could have caught them -- passes. Schwartz should be making money winning sprints all over the globe.

Tidbits . . . Josh Dobbs looked a lot better than Watson at quarterback, although that didn't take much. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 108 yards and the touchdown. Josh Rosen, in relief of Dobbs, also looked comfortable for someone who didn't get many training-camp snaps. His only miss in seven passing attempts was a throwaway on a busted play. . . . Running back D'Ernest Johnson, who has fumbled only once in three years with Cleveland, coughed up the ball that led to a Jacksonville field goal in the first quarter. . . . Rookie defensive end Isiah Thomas had himself quite an afternoon, filling up the stats sheet with two of the Browns' five sacks, three solo tackles, three tackles for loss and a pair of quarterback hits. Worth keeping an eye on. . . . A quibble with York's kicking: He tends to hook his extra points around the left upright. But his 31-yard field goal was perfect. . . . Third-year linebacker Jacob Phillips is not a good tackler, whiffing at least twice on seemingly easy tackles. He was credited with one assist. . . . Ja'Marcus Bradley got the first crack at replacing Jakeem Grant, on injured reserve with a ruptured Achilles, with mediocre results.