CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns’ formula for success in 2025 isn’t complicated, but it is imperative: protect the football on offense and take it away on defense. It’s a fundamental aspect of football that can determine a team’s fate, and it’s where the Browns failed spectacularly last season.
On the latest Orange and Brown Talk podcast, Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot didn’t mince words about what should be the team’s primary focus.
“Well, I really truly believe, and I’ve been saying this over and over and over again, the first piece of that formula in my mind is to play clean football and to not turn the ball over, to not give it away and then to also conversely to take it away,” Cabot emphasized.
The statistics paint a grim picture of Cleveland’s 2024 campaign. Host Dan Labbe highlighted just how problematic turnovers were last season: “Last year they turned it over 34 times, which was tied for Tennessee, like you said. But on top of that, they had the worst third down percentage.”
These numbers are even more alarming when considering the historical impact of turnover differential on game outcomes. As Cabot noted, “I don’t know what the statistic is right now, but it’s usually something in the neighborhood of if you win the turnover battle, you win the game 80% of the time.”
That 80% figure should be posted in every meeting room at the Browns’ facility. It’s not just a correlation — it’s practically causation in the NFL. Teams that win the turnover battle consistently win games.
The defensive side of this equation is equally troubling. The Browns defense, despite its perceived talent, has struggled mightily to generate takeaways. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was the only linebacker to force a turnover last season, while Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II were the only defensive backs to record interceptions — with Newsom’s coming on a ball tipped by Ward.
This lack of playmaking from the secondary is particularly puzzling. Safety Juan Thornhill, who had multiple multiple-interception seasons in Kansas City, didn’t record a single pick in two years with Cleveland. Grant Delpit, who tallied four interceptions in 2022, has just one in the past two seasons.
The solution, according to Cabot, starts with a mindset shift: “I think they need to look for that interception a little bit more than they have. You’ve got to have a nose for the ball.”
She specifically called for increased production from the defensive line: “I think Myles needs to get more sack fumbles. I think all of them do. Maybe Mason Graham can force some takeaways this year. Maybe Carson Schwesinger can do the same.”
This aggressive approach to forcing turnovers needs to become ingrained in the team’s identity. “That’s how you establish yourself as a fearsome and dominant defense,” Cabot explained, “by taking the ball away and making sure that those offensive players know that you are coming for them and you are coming for that ball and you’re going to get it.”
On offense, ball security will be paramount, particularly with rookie skill position players expected to contribute heavily. “They’re going to have two rookie running backs playing most of the time and a rookie tight end in Harold Fannin Jr. And those guys are going to have to make sure that they’re on point in not giving the ball away,” Cabot said.
As the Browns look toward 2025, their ability to flip their turnover differential could be the difference between playoff contention and another disappointing season. In a league where the margin between winning and losing is razor-thin, winning the turnover battle by even one per game could transform Cleveland’s fortunes.
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