BEREA -- The whole offseason, the mantra of the Cleveland Browns organization was that the Browns would be competitive in 2025, and the Browns were not rebuilding. Myles Garrett started the discussion when he asked to be traded, but subsequently said he bought the plans presented to him as to how the Browns could win now--that and a four-year, $160 million contract.
When the schedule was released, the first six games appeared to be a grueling gauntlet, with the six teams combining for a 71-31 record in 2024, including five of the six teams making the playoffs.
Although not saying the Browns were rebuilding publicly, the Browns felt that they could compete for the playoffs with their roster, which includes Pro Bowl players Denzel Ward, Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, Jack Conklin, Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku, in addition to Garrett.
The prevailing thought was that if the Browns could stay afloat through those six games, they would have a chance to compete for the AFC North when the schedule 'lightened' up. Many felt a 2-4 record through six games might be considered staying afloat. A 3-3 record would be satisfactory, but anything less would not be ideal.
The Browns have gone through the first six games and sit at 1-5. They played well enough in two of the losses to be 3-3, but nevertheless, they are 1-5. A case could be made the Browns defense played well enough to win in all of the games, but the offense's inability to score more than 17 points cost them in the five losses.
Joe Flacco was brought in to be the steady hand at the wheel to guide the young team through the early six-game storm and hope they came out of it in a position to continue to play meaningful football. However, Flacco turned the ball over eight times, contributing to the offense's problems. Flacco was benched in favor of rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel and then subsequently traded.
In most seasons, a 1-5 start means it's 'wait until next year', but this year, it appears that two of the perceived front-runners for the AFC North are on the brink of having their seasons go down the tubes. The Bengals (2-4) lost Joe Burrow for three months and have lost four games in a row since his injury. The reason the Bengals traded for Flacco was to try and salvage their season, but unless Flacco can play defense and re-capture the magic he had in the 2023 season with the Browns, it seems like a long shot.