Browns Plainly Podcast

The Browns drafted Schwartz in 2021 to add a speed element lacking at the position. With Schwartz unable to carve out a significant role thus far, the Browns could look to add a player who can stretch the field vertically. It is an area that could be improved on and make this group more dynamic. Mecole Hardman is a player who could fill that role. Hardman has 500 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons and was on pace to do it again this year, but an ankle injury landed him on short-term IR. Hardman exhibits blazing speed and ranked second in yards after the catch per reception in each of his last two seasons and currently ranks eighth in 2022. Paris Campbell, Noah Browns, and DeAndre Carter are some guys that will be on the cheaper end and could provide depth and potential upside at the same time.

The 2023 Free Agent wide receiver class isn’t anything to write home about, and the market exploded last off-season. With large portions of the Browns' cap space already spoken for, it is hard to imagine them swinging big in the Free Agency market. We saw different approaches last off-season with teams like the Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, and Green Bay Packers electing not to pay their stud wide receivers and attempting to duplicate that production with less expensive players. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Rams signed wide receiver contracts between $25 and $30 million, resetting the market.

Jakobi Meyers, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Allen Lazard are the headliners of the free-agent wide receivers available in the off-season and will likely get overpaid. Darius Slayton is an intriguing name depending on the price. He took a $1.57 million pay cut to stick in New York, and after multiple injuries, Slayton is essentially the No. 1 receiver on a Giants team that is better than most expected. The 26-year-old has a career-high 74.8 PFF grade and is on pace to record a career-high in receiving yards.

NFL DRAFT WIDE RECEIVER PROSPECTS

The Browns could look to add another wide receiver in the 2023 NFL Draft. They have no first-round pick and eight picks in total. If the front office thinks David Bell can step forward as their third wide receiver, this is likely the route they will look to go. The amount of urgency Berry and his staff have for adding to this room will be driven by their evaluation of what they have in Bell, Woods, and Schwartz. The NFL Draft has been deep with wide receiver talent over the last few years, and having young wide receivers on rookie deals is extremely helpful when building a roster.

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You can only pick one: defensive tackle, edge rusher or wide receiver. Which position would you choose for the Browns this offseason?

It's one of four Browns questions Mary Kay Cabot, Ashley Bastock and Dan Labbe answer on Wednesday's Orange and Brown Talk.

They make a case for why each position is the right answer before they move on. The other questions include:

Which of a group of players is most likely to return next season?

Who will make their first Pro Bowl in 2023?

Share a Tom Brady memory.

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Music credit:

Ice Flow by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3898-ice-flow

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The Browns had a disappointing season in 2022, going 7-10 and missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season. It cost defensive coordinator Joe Woods his job, but head coach Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry seem secure, at least for now. What would change that?

That's just one question from our Football Insider subscribers on Tuesday's Part 2 of the Hey, Mary Kay! podcast.

Mary Kay Cabot and Dan Labbe also discuss how the Browns will address their roster and what additions they need to make and how they might make them. They also answer questions about the futures of Jacoby Brissett and Kareem Hunt.

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Music credit:

Ice Flow by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3898-ice-flow

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

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In this video, Watson and Stefanski both confirm they will run a "totally different" offense in 2023. This news comes as a relief to Browns fans, who had been worried about the direction of the team under Watson and Stefanski. The Browns struggled with transitioning from a power running team with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to a vertical Passing attack with Deshaun Watson. The Browns offense struggled under Watson and Stefanski the last 6 games of the season. Fans were worried that the offense they used in 2022 would be continued in 2023 and beyond. However, it seems as though Watson and Stefanski have decided to switch things up and use a more wide open offense passing offense. This news is sure to make Browns fans happy and relieve some of the pressure they've been under. Thanks for watching!

The Cleveland Browns were hoping to get a major boost to their offensive attack when quarterback Deshaun Watson returned to the field. In the first 11 games with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, the Browns averaged about 25 points per game. When Watson took over, the offense averaged about 13 points per game. The most points the offense scored was against the Commanders in his fifth game when the Browns scored 24 points and Watson threw second half touchdowns and had a rating of 122.5. Kevin Stefanski was asked by The OBR in the season-ending press conference what gives him hope the offense can be more explosive, in both the running and passing game.

“I think that is part of this offseason is making sure that we are putting all of those things together," Stefanski said. "Obviously, having the true offseason with Deshaun and starting the season with him is I think will be obviously, a big deal as it relates to that. We want to make sure that we are scoring points in any which way we can. We want to give our guys a chance to play fast. "I thought there were really moments with Deshaun in there that were some high-level football," he said. "I thought guys were playing really well. It was the run game, and it was the passing game. Those really exciting parts of this offseason, just tapping into those things even more and drilling down specifically into what Deshaun does really well and put together and offense around it.”

Watson said it was important to him to get to work on the 2023 season and he wants to give his input as to what he thinks can help the offense.

"Met with (Stefanski) today," he said. "We are going to have a man to man conversation. Nothing negative or anything like that, but just what can we do to be better offensively and as a team." Watson said after he meets with the coaches the next couple of days, he will then take a break, but then get back to work.

"Being able to relax a little bit and decompress," he said. "Once all of that pretty much settles down, then get back to work, watching the tape, watching the film and mastering this offense. Like I said before, mentioned meeting with Kevin and AVP (Alex Van Pelt) and (quarterbacks coach) Drew (Petzing) and being able to figure out what we need to do better and then mastering those before we come back for OTAs.” Stefanski was asked if he expected the offense to be drastically different in 2023 than it was in the six games to finish the season.

“I hope year to year you are different – different being better," he said. "How drastic that is depends so much year to year. Ultimately, we do want to maximize Deshaun’s talents, maximize Nick Chubb, David Njoku and Amari (Cooper). We want to make sure that we are putting all of those guys in a good spot. Yes, there are things that yes we want to get to this spring and summer that we haven’t gotten into just yet.”

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The Browns finished the 2022 season with one of the worst interior defensive line groups in all of football. Much of the blame for the struggling defensive line could be on the scheme that now former DC Joe Woods ran in Cleveland, however, the Browns just never had the talent at the position anyways.

The two starting defensive lineman for the Browns were Jordan Elliot and Taven Bryan, who ranked at 118 and 66 respectively at their position, according to Pro Football Focus. Against the run, the Browns defense allowed 135 rushing yards per game and 1.3 rushing touchdowns per game, both statistics near dead last in the NFL. Elliott played in around at least half of the Browns snaps on the defensive line every game last season. He finished the year with 36 combined tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 3 quarterback hits and 2 sacks.

In addition to Elliott, Bryan was a big part of that room this past season. He was signed to the team last off-season on a one-year contract. Bryan, a former first-round pick by the Jaguars in 2018, was brought to Cleveland last off-season in an attempt to bolster the team up-front. However, the starting duo of Bryan and Elliott simply wasn't effective enough. Perrion Winfrey was another guy in the rotation for the Browns this past season. Winfrey was a fourth-round selection by the team in the 2022 NFL draft. Winfrey showed flashes throughout the season but is still not viewed as a starting caliber defensive tackle in the near future.

In order to make a push towards the postseason next year, the Browns will need to aggressively add talent to their roster through free agency, the draft and test out the trade market. Cleveland is expected to be heavily involved in the defensive tackle market this off-season. In Schwartz's past, he's almost always had a dominant force on the interior defensive line when he found success. One player who would certainly fit the bill is Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne.

Payne, a 5-year veteran and former first-round selection by Washington, was recently named to the 2023 NFL Pro Bowl roster and led the Commanders dominate front four in sacks last season. Over the course of his career, Payne has played in at least 15 games every season. Payne will come at a great cost, however, after finishing out the last year of his rookie deal. If Washington elects not to re-sign him and he hits the open market, Payne will likely draw interest from almost every NFL organization. A 25-year-old Pro Bowl caliber player doesn't hit the open market very often, especially at the defensive tackle position.

Defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Fletcher Cox, unless they re-sign with the Eagles, will be unrestricted free agents in March and are both extremely talented tackles who could be on the Browns radar. Cox, a six-time All-Pro, is a 32-year-old veteran who has produced at high level for a long time in the league. Cox would likely be signed to a shorter-term deal and could be significantly cheaper than other players at the top of the market. Cox played under Schwartz in Philadelphia where the two won a Super Bowl together.

Hargrave, on the other hand, is a player who is expected to receive a big-time contract this off-season. Whether that is from Philadelphia or not, a team will be interested in giving the 29-year-old interior lineman a nice pay-day. Hargrave finished the 2022 regular season with several career best marks, including sacks and tackles for a loss. He tallied 11 sacks, 60 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss and 16 quarterback hits during the 2022 campaign. Hargrave would be an ideal fit for the Browns and Schwartz as a player they can rely on to wreck havoc up the middle.

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The Browns are once again watching the playoffs from home, including Sunday's AFC and NFC Championship Games. So, how close are the Browns to the teams who competed this weekend? It's one of the questions our Football Insider subscribers had on Monday's Hey, Mary Kay! edition of the podcast.

Mary Kay Cabot and Dan Labbe answer that question and more.

They discuss Amari Cooper's contract and how the Browns could approach it this offseason. Then they get into how the front office managed to miss so badly on the defensive tackle position, how the Browns can improve the roster via free agency and teh draft and whether the Browns defense can catch up to the defenses we saw play in the championship games.

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Music credit:

Ice Flow by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3898-ice-flow

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this video, Watson and Stefanski both confirm they will run a "totally different" offense in 2023. This news comes as a relief to Browns fans, who had been worried about the direction of the team under Watson and Stefanski. The Browns struggled with transitioning from a power running team with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to a vertical Passing attack with Deshaun Watson. The Browns offense struggled under Watson and Stefanski the last 6 games of the season. Fans were worried that the offense they used in 2022 would be continued in 2023 and beyond. However, it seems as though Watson and Stefanski have decided to switch things up and use a more wide open offense passing offense. This news is sure to make Browns fans happy and relieve some of the pressure they've been under. Thanks for watching!

The Cleveland Browns were hoping to get a major boost to their offensive attack when quarterback Deshaun Watson returned to the field. In the first 11 games with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, the Browns averaged about 25 points per game. When Watson took over, the offense averaged about 13 points per game. The most points the offense scored was against the Commanders in his fifth game when the Browns scored 24 points and Watson threw second half touchdowns and had a rating of 122.5. Kevin Stefanski was asked by The OBR in the season-ending press conference what gives him hope the offense can be more explosive, in both the running and passing game.

“I think that is part of this offseason is making sure that we are putting all of those things together," Stefanski said. "Obviously, having the true offseason with Deshaun and starting the season with him is I think will be obviously, a big deal as it relates to that. We want to make sure that we are scoring points in any which way we can. We want to give our guys a chance to play fast. "I thought there were really moments with Deshaun in there that were some high-level football," he said. "I thought guys were playing really well. It was the run game, and it was the passing game. Those really exciting parts of this offseason, just tapping into those things even more and drilling down specifically into what Deshaun does really well and put together and offense around it.”

Watson said it was important to him to get to work on the 2023 season and he wants to give his input as to what he thinks can help the offense.

"Met with (Stefanski) today," he said. "We are going to have a man to man conversation. Nothing negative or anything like that, but just what can we do to be better offensively and as a team." Watson said after he meets with the coaches the next couple of days, he will then take a break, but then get back to work.

"Being able to relax a little bit and decompress," he said. "Once all of that pretty much settles down, then get back to work, watching the tape, watching the film and mastering this offense. Like I said before, mentioned meeting with Kevin and AVP (Alex Van Pelt) and (quarterbacks coach) Drew (Petzing) and being able to figure out what we need to do better and then mastering those before we come back for OTAs.” Stefanski was asked if he expected the offense to be drastically different in 2023 than it was in the six games to finish the season.

“I hope year to year you are different – different being better," he said. "How drastic that is depends so much year to year. Ultimately, we do want to maximize Deshaun’s talents, maximize Nick Chubb, David Njoku and Amari (Cooper). We want to make sure that we are putting all of those guys in a good spot. Yes, there are things that yes we want to get to this spring and summer that we haven’t gotten into just yet.”

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It's awards season. We're back with our third annual Orange and Brown Talk awards, reflecting on the 2022 season by handing out awards across multiple categories.

Mary Kay Cabot, Doug Lesmerises, Ashley Bastock and Dan Labbe nominate players and vote for winners in the following categories:

Most Valuable Player

Most Disappointing Player

Rookie of the Year

Most Improved Player

Player Most Likely to Break Out in 2023

Best Offseason Acquisition

Worst Offseason Acquisition

Defining Moment

Biggest Miss

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Music credit:

"Running Fanfare" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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It's the question that never goes away: Should Kevin Stefanski call the plays or should he let someone else do it so he can take over the CEO role?

Mary Kay Cabot, Ashley Bastock and Dan Labbe answer three Browns questions on Thursday's Orange and Brown Talk podcast and they start with Stefanski's role as playcaller. What are the pros and cons to him calling and not calling the plays and who would do it if he did give it up?

Then they discuss the 2022 rookie class and which player could make a leap in 2023 before they get out their crystal ball and try to figure out what the next big Browns headline will be.

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Music credit:

Ice Flow by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3898-ice-flow

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Browns have a lot of questions regarding their wide receiver room, the biggest one is regarding if they are ready to commit long term money to Donovan Peoples Jones. If Jones is not in the long term plans then Andrew Berry and company need to add to the room through free agency or the draft. Several young wideouts are in the mix but none have stood out to this point. Adding a vet receiver seems rational until you look at the market of what is underwhelming free agent class. The draft offers a few solid names but none that should be available when the Cleveland brass will be on the clock. #Browns

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