2018 Year in Review: Cleveland Browns
2018 started with the inexplicable news that Hue Jackson would be retained as head coach despite his 1-31 record followed by a Perfect Season Parade, a roster overhaul, a bunch of streaks ended, a coaching change, playoff hopes in December and ended with renewed optimism and high expectations for 2019.
Here’s a look at the events that shaped 2018 for the Cleveland Browns.
Angered by an 0-16 season as well as the worst 3-year stretch in NFL history that saw the team go 4-44 and fall to 88-216 since 1999, nearly 3,000 fans gathered for a ‘Victory lap’ around FirstEnergy Stadium in sub-zero wind chills on Jan. 6 carrying signs, pulling floats and yelling playful chants in protest of what had become epic and historic futility for one of the league’s most storied franchises.
Hue Jackson’s search for an offensive coordinator wrapped up quickly when the Steelers elected not to renew Todd Haley’s contract. Haley was hired on Jan. 24 and introduced on Feb. 14. Jackson gave Haley autonomy over the offense, but the shotgun marriage would not last long.
After playing in 167 consecutive games and taking 10,363 consecutive snaps, Joe Thomas retired on March 14. Thomas’ career officially ended with a torn biceps tendon suffered against the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 22, 2017 ending all of his streaks. A 10-time Pro Bowler, Thomas is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2023 and he is expected to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
The new Browns’ GM kicked free agency off with a bang on March 15 by signing 7 unrestricted free agents and completing a flurry of trades, including acquiring quarterback Tyrod Taylor from Buffalo, receiver Jarvis Landry from Miami and safety Damarious Randall from Green Bay. Taylor was immediately named the starting quarterback by Jackson, No. 29 since 1999.
The Browns surprised some by selecting Oklahoma quarterback and 2017 Heisman trophy winner Baker Mayfield with he first pick in the NFL Draft. Dorsey was able to keep the decision quiet leading up to the draft. Mayfield took over in Week 3 for Taylor and went on to lead the Browns to 7 victories and set franchise rookie records for passing yardage and touchdowns. With the fourth pick, Cleveland took Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward. Ward was named to the Pro Bowl.
After pledging to jump in Lake Erie after the Browns went 1-15 in 2016 if they repeated or worse in 2017, Jackson jumped in on June 1st along with owner Dee Haslam, executives and team employees. Jackson used the event to raise $30,000 for his foundation, which supports the fight against human trafficking.
The Browns were this year’s subject team for HBO’s Emmy-award winning series ‘Hard Knocks’ produced by NFL Films. The 5-part series took viewers behind the scenes of training camp including exposing early tension between Jackson, Haley and running backs coach Freddie Kitchens, the Josh Gordon drama, surprise trade of Corey Coleman, Antonio Callaway’s citation, Landry’s impassioned “contagious” speech while featuring several players who were ultimately cut.
Dorsey continued his housecleaning by trading the team’s 2016 first round pick on Aug. 6 to Buffalo. Coleman was selected 15th overall but never caught on and he frustrated the coaching staff with a lack of effort early in camp. Problems with his production on the field and maturity off it contributed to the team deciding to give him away for a seventh-round pick.
For the first time since Christmas eve 2016, the Browns didn’t lose a game. Trailing by 14 points in the fourth quarter of the season opener, Myles Garrett forced a pair of fumbles in the final 6 minutes to give Cleveland life. After rallying to tie the game and forcing overtime, the Browns had a field goal blocked in the closing seconds of OT ending the game in a 21-21 tie.
After nearly 7 years of dealing with Gordon’s problems, the Browns finally had enough. The talented receiver, who served more games in suspensions than he played for the Browns since being picked up in the 2012 supplemental draft, was dealt to New England along with a 2019 seventh round pick for a 2019 fifth round pick on Sept. 17. Gordon took a leave at the outset of training camp to deal with his off-field problems and reported in mid-August. The team remained supportive of Gordon until he suffered a hamstring injury allegedly during a late-night shoot at the team facility and then proceeded to show up late the following day for their trip to New Orleans. He was left home and the team announced they would release Gordon but ultimately traded him 2 days later.
The Browns broke open the victory fridges with a 21-17 come-from-behind victory over the New York Jets on Thursday night football. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor suffered a concussion late in the second quarter giving way to Mayfield, who rallied them from 14 down for their first victory in 19 games by completing 17 of 23 passes for 291 yards. Mayfield replaced Taylor as the starting quarterback after the game.
Greg Joseph somehow knuckled through a 37-yard field goal with 2 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Browns a 12-9 victory, ending an 18-game AFC North winless streak and a 37-game winless streak on Sundays.
With rookie Nick Chubb, who had ripped off a pair of long touchdown runs, waiting in the wings and controversy over carries brewing, Dorsey made the decision for Haley and the coaching staff by trading starter Carlos Hyde to Jacksonville on Oct. 19 for a 2019 fifth-round pick. Hyde, a former Ohio State star back, was signed to a 3-year deal as a free agent in the offseason from San Francisco. Following the trade, Chubb responded by tallying 80 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown 2 days later at Tampa Bay.
With the team falling to 2-5-1 following a 33-18 drubbing by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Hue Jackson was fired the following morning on Oct. 29. An hour later, Todd Haley was fired as well. Owner Jimmy Haslam cited “internal discord” as the reason behind the firings. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was named the interim head coach and running backs coach Freddie Kitchens was elevated to offensive coordinator. The changes saved the season and allowed Mayfield to flourish.
Mayfield said he “woke up feeling pretty dangerous” prior to a 28-16 victory over the Atlanta Falcons – the first with Williams and Kitchens calling the shots. The rookie QB threw for 216 yards and 3 touchdowns while completing 17 of 20 passes. Chubb also ripped off a 92-yard touchdown run – the longest in franchise history.
With Jackson on the other sideline, the Browns crushed the Bengals by racing out to a 28-pont lead. Safety Damarious Randall handed Jackson a football after intercepting it in the second quarter. Mayfield threw – touchdown passes in the win, which ended a 25-game road losing streak and prevented the franchise from tying the all-time league record.
Following a controversial decision not to kick a field goal and go for it on fourth-and-1 at the 10 that saw the Browns get stopped, Jabrill Peppers sacked Broncos quarterback Case Keenum on a fourth-and-10 near midfield to seal the victory. Peppers also thwarted a scoring threat late in the first half with an interception. Mayfield began the game with a 31-yard TD strike to Breshad Perriman. The victory pushed the Browns to 6-7-1 and kept their playoff hopes alive.
