The Browns entered the offseason ready to make the necessary changes to ensure that a first-round play exit wouldn’t be the furthest they got in 2024.
In the week following the season, they let go of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt along with their running backs and tight ends coach. The team brought in former Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and let linebackers Anthony Walker and Sione Takitaki walk in free agency. Without a first-round pick for a third consecutive season and hamstrung by the large number of guaranteed contracts on the roster, the Browns had to be fickle this offseason while tweaking a reigning playoff roster on the fly.
Because their starting roster is all but set and there wasn’t much salary cap room to maneuver, the Browns’ offseason, in terms of player personnel, was relatively quiet. Adding in the fact that they didn’t select until midway through the second round, much of the perception of how Cleveland’s offseason went trends toward mediocre reviews.
However, NFL pundits didn’t ding the Browns too much for their lack of moves. Cleveland still made some splash decisions that could change their 2024 outlook, including a big trade for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, re-signing edge rush Za’Darius Smith and signing backup quarterback Jameis Winston.
Here’s where various outlets land on the Browns’ offseason grades.
Cleveland Browns receive mostly positive offseason grades
The biggest offseason addition for Cleveland in 2024 thus far has been Jeudy. Acquired from the Broncos for a fifth- and sixth-round pick, the Browns decided to turn a flier on a once-promising receiver into a long-term commitment. Days after they traded for Jeudy, the Browns inked a three-year, $52.5 million extension with $41 million guaranteed in hopes that he can blossom into a strong second option behind Amari Cooper moving forward.
Aside from Jeudy, Cleveland brought in Winston to back up Deshaun Watson and Tyler Huntley to compete for a backup role. They also inked deals with veteran running backs Nyheim Hines and D’Onta Foreman while taking fliers on linebackers Devin Bush and Jordan Hicks.
The offseason moves signaled that Cleveland’s priority was shoring up already solidified positions with guys that the Browns can plug in and play immediately should one of the injury-prone starters fall again.
Pro Football Focus gave the Browns a B-minus because there weren’t any splash moves from the club this offseason.
“Their draft didn’t move the needle for me; they actually overdrafted a few players relative to my board.” PFF’s Trevor Sikkema wrote. “But this remains a near-complete roster, so execution is all that remains.”
Bleacher Report was only slightly more favorable to Cleveland, grading their offseason a B. Kristopher Knox wrote that the Browns minimize losses and made gains where they could.
“General manager Andrew Berry was able to retain players and address needs on a budget,” Kristopher Knox wrote. “Though Berry wasn’t equipped with a first-round pick — also due to the acquisition of Watson — he did solid work over draft weekend. Rookie defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr could make an immediate impact, while guard Zak Zinter figures to be an eventual replacement for either Joel Bitonio or Wyatt Teller.”
The Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer mostly concurred. He ranked the Browns 22nd in the NFL with a B-minus offseason grade.
“The Browns did OK in tweaking their playoff roster from 2023 with GM Andrew Berry, but grading on a curve in relation to the rest of the tough AFC North, they tried to fill a few key depth gaps above anything else,” he wrote. “The win is keeping their strength of offensive line and overall defense intact.”
There were plenty of opportunities for the team to drastically change, but for the first time since the Browns returned to Cleveland in 1999, they had a roster that, for the most part, was worth keeping around for another season.
The Browns didn’t need to do anything fancy once the season ended with its roster. The real test of how this offseason will be graded will come from how Ken Dorsey and the new position coach additions do. The draft and free agent signings were simply to bolster the back end of the 53-man roster and ensure there’s hardly a talent gap no matter who’s on the field.
