OBR Newswire Bloviation Header
Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
Today is the day, folks. After an early portion of the week filled with meetings, podcasts, and whatnot, I finally can get back into my Grand Coding Project(tm) today. There won't be a "big reveal" for the Grand Coding Project, but I expect the results to dribble out in bits and pieces over the next nine months, with an eye toward a full launch before the next off-season. Getting this done will be a grind, but I love it.
While I'm mired in infinite loops and other clumsy coding mistakes, the Browns will continue doing things. Whether those things will be productive remains to be seen as the Browns enter this next phase of their adventures with the same cast that brought us the Great Deshaun Watson Debacle.
It's becoming apparent that the Browns front office has a decent runway to re-launch the Browns, as their behavior and comments from their owner indicate that they will get a couple of years to fix this mess. Of course, that could change if the 2025 season is another imploding disaster, but they also have a lot of work ahead.
On Browns 3-D last night, Jeff Lloyd speculated that the Browns would need nine new starters on offense relative to the starting roster they presented in 2024. This is conceivably true, as only Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku look set from a talent and age perspective to make it into 2026 as starters. Dewand Jones is a big maybe. Beyond that, age and lack of production suggest a lot of changes on offense, more than is likely in a single year. We went from "there's little room on this roster" before the 2024 season to "wholesale replacement" in just a year. Life comes at you fast.
Among the starters needing to be replaced from the 2024 line-up is one Deshaun Watson, the potential home run that the Browns failed to connect. Watson himself heard Jimmy Haslam's remarks discounting him and offered a somewhat cryptic comeback that is amply covered by the gossiping gadabouts that comprise what used to be an objective media sphere. I left out about a dozen links from clickbait sites. You're welcome.
Replacing Watson will be some mystery quarterback, who may or may not appear during the draft. The Browns seem relatively unenthused by the prospect of having to "over-draft" a quarterback prospect in a weak class, leading to some speculation across the league that they've really got their eyes on the 2026 draft class. I suspect the team will play the draft as it lands, and if that means that they could get good value out of a later QB pick, they will opt to do that.
Kevin Stefanski
Kevin Stefanski and his charges (Photo: Getty)
One thing they won't do is "stand on tables," per Kevin Stefanski, who once again talks about consensus and process and all that stuff that led to a 3-14 record in 2024. Any hope that Stefanski would take a pivotal role in demanding a quarterback that fits his system is lost amidst the coachspeak. However, we don't know whether he will play that sort of role without making it obvious externally.
Consider me disappointed - I wanted Stefanski to stand on a table and demand his guy. Whether that's not going to happen because the free agent and draft classes don't have that player or because it doesn't match Stefanski's public persona is a mystery, but Stefanski appears to be doing the opposite of what I intended for him to do.
This brings me back to my code, a kludgey mess of trial and error that generally does the opposite of what I intend for it to do. That could slow things down a bit, and that is why I'm not promising any tangible results for months to come.
In this, the OBR webdork resembles the team itself. I hope I'm not talking about a big swing and miss in 2027.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
Newswire Bloviation Archive