For the second straight offseason, former first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney found himself without a job and unable to strike a long-term deal. Last season, it took until late summer for Clowney to find a job when he inked a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans. This year, it did not take as long, as the Cleveland Browns agreed to terms with the 3x Pro Bowler on a one-year deal. Let us look at the details of the deal and what it means for the Browns.

Contract Details

Regarding the details of the contract, the deal is a one-year contract, worth $8 million with incentives that can bring that number up to $10 million. From the $8 million, $4.5 million will be a signing bonus while the other $2.5 million of guaranteed money be Clowney’s base salary. It is a good deal for both teams as Clowney gets a chance to prove himself while Cleveland barely has any cap hit from him going into the 2021 season.

How Does He Fit?

When Clowney was coming out of college, he was known as a defensive end that is going to go after the quarterback. For numerous reasons, Clowney has not been that guy but has been efficient in the run game, clogging the lanes and filling the gaps. With DT Sheldon Richardson getting released, this role becomes even more imminent. In the past, including last season with the Titans, Clowney was asked to be the top pass rusher and take on double teams. With Cleveland, Clowney will not have to worry about that, as he will be lining up on the opposite side of all-pro DE Myles Garrett. The Browns are a win now team as well, giving Clowney an even bigger opportunity for success.

What’s Next?

For the entire offseason, GM Andrew Berry and crew have placed an enormous emphasis on defense. Including the Clowney signing, the Browns have also signed S John Johnson III, CB Troy Hill, and LB Anthony Walker. While not done, the Browns have had a successful offseason. The question is, what is next? In around two weeks, the Browns will look to bolster their team even more with the NFL Draft. Cleveland can go a few ways. They can look to add speed at the linebacker position, depth to their secondary, or even look to find a burner at receiver to stretch the field. It will be an interesting decision that Cleveland has to make, but one that can make a huge difference.

contract details from 247sports.com

info from profootballreference.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas

After a tough loss to the two-win Jets in Week 16, the Cleveland Browns went into a win-and-in scenario against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17. In front of a whopping 12,000 fans, the Browns beat their division foe by a score of 24-22. With the win, they clinched their first playoff berth since 2002 and their first 11-win season since 1994. Let us analyze how the game played out and what to look for ahead.

Browns Pound the Rock

All season long, the Browns have run their offense through their running game, specifically the dynamic duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. This game proved no different, as the Browns rushed for an impressive 192 yards and 2 TD’s in the victory. Chubb led the way with 14 carries and 108 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown, while Hunt carried the ball 10 times for 37 yards. WR Jarvis Landry also pitched in a three-yard rushing touchdown, while QB Baker Mayfield had a season-high 44 yards, including a game-sealing third-down conversion on a QB Power.

While the rushing attack led the way, the air attack complemented the ground game very effectively in the winning effort. QB Baker Mayfield went 17-27 with 196 yards and a touchdown to TE Austin Hooper, who finished the day with four catches and 37 yards. Mayfield spread the wealth to seven different receivers with WR Rashard Higgins leading the yardage category with 55 yards. WR Jarvis Landry paced the team in catches with five on the day.

Cleveland “D” Does Just Enough

Even without a few key guys due to COVID-19, which includes star CB Denzel Ward, the Browns defense did just enough to earn the victory in Week 17. Cleveland gave up 394 yards (309 passing) and allowed the Steelers to go 8-17 on third down and 2-2 on fourth down. Despite this, the Browns made one final stop on a two-point conversion to hold the lead and clinch a spot in the playoffs. Rookie LB Jacob Phillips had a career day, totaling 10 tackles in the victory. DE Olivier Vernon recorded his ninth sack of the season and CB M.J. Stewart caught his second interception on the season. The interception led to a touchdown to make the score 24-9 at the time. The Cleveland secondary also recorded six passes defensed on the day in the team effort.

Mason Rudolph Impresses

Despite QB Ben Roethlisberger getting the game off with the Steelers already clinched, QB Mason Rudolph did a nice job starting in his place. The former Oklahoma State product went 22-39 with 315 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the loss. Rudolph did a good job of getting the ball downfield to his strong core of receivers, completing three passes over 40 yards on the day. WR Chase Claypool led the receiving attack with five catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. To go along with Claypool, WR Diontae Johnson put up a line of 3-96 and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster chipped in a line of 6-65-1.

On the ground, the Steelers have struggled all year, and they continued in this Week 17 affair. RB James Conner had nine carries for 37 yards, leading the Steelers rushing attack. RB’s Anthony McFarland and Benny Snell Jr. also totaled eight carries for 27 yards. In total, Pittsburgh had 85 total rushing yards, which has been the theme for the last month or so. Look for Conner to try and get going as it is now-or-never with the playoffs arriving.

Looking Ahead 

With the win, the Cleveland Browns clinched the sixth seed in the AFC, while the Steelers locked up the third seed once the Bills won their game over the Dolphins. As a result of this, the Browns and Steelers will run it back in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Both teams are expected to get key guys back in the AFC North showdown. The game will take place at Heinz Field on Sunday, 1/10 at 8:15 P.M. ET. The Steelers open as the favorite, but this is going to be a dogfight no matter what the line is. Look for a gritty effort from both teams as they both look to move on to the next round in their quests to the Super Bowl.

Info from profootballreference.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas

In 2020, the Cleveland Browns have gotten off to a great start, while the Dallas Cowboys have struggled out the gate. The two faced off in a Week 4 matchup, a game that Dallas hosted. Cleveland came out on top 49-38 in a thriller. Let us take a dive into the details of this matchup.

Game Details

The game played out as expected, a shootout, but not in the way you would think. Cleveland started the scoring with a creative play-call when Odell Beckham Jr. caught a 37-yard touchdown from WR Jarvis Landry. Dallas answered, scoring two touchdowns to make the score 14-7 after the first quarter. After this, Cleveland exploded as a team, scoring 34 unanswered points going up 41-14 after the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Dallas came roaring back cutting the lead to 41-38, until Cleveland answered with a touchdown from Beckham Jr. and sealing the game with an interception with a score of 49-38.

Cleveland Offense Proves its Worth

Coming into the game, many were unsure if the Browns were built to stay with a high-powered offense like Dallas. This game proved they can put points on the board, dropping 49 points in an efficient effort by the offense. 

The story of the game was WR Odell Beckham Jr. exploded against Dallas, catching 5 balls for 81 yards and rushing for 73 yards, totaling three touchdowns. This includes a 50-yard end-around that put the dagger in Dallas’ comeback. QB Baker Mayfield played an efficient game once again, completing 19/30 for 165 yards and two touchdowns, sporting a passer rating of 100. 

Once again, the Browns dominated on the ground, running for an insane 307 yards, led by RB D’Ernest Johnson who had 95 yards. RB Kareem Hunt had 71 yards and two touchdowns in limited action due to a groin injury. RB Nick Chubb had six carries for 43 yards before going out with an injury. Cleveland was able to do this with their top two backs not available for a large portion of the game, which is a very encouraging sign for the Cleveland offense for the future.

Browns Keep Forcing Turnovers

One of the more underrated aspects of the Browns is their defense. While they gave up 38 points, a lot of it was in garbage time when Dallas was coming back. Nonetheless, Cleveland has taken the ball away at an impressive rate through four games, including today. DE Myles Garrett came up with his third strip-sack in as many games, while S Andrew Sendejo also forced a fumble. CB Denzel Ward, who was questionable coming into the game, came up with the game-sealing interception late in the fourth quarter. Cleveland has taken the ball away 10 times in four games, giving the offense a short field where they are cashing in, a recipe for success.

Dallas Offense Stays Hot, Defense Struggles

The Dallas offense was not the question mark coming into 2020, and they have lived up to the expectations. QB Dak Prescott threw for 502 yards and 4 touchdowns. RB Ezekiel Elliott totaled 125 yards, while wide receivers Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb totaled for 213 yards and 3 touchdowns. TE Dalton Schultz also chipped in a touchdown on 72 yards.

The biggest reason why the Cowboys are 1-3 is their defense. After giving up at least 35 points two weeks in a row, Dallas gave up 49 this week on over 300 rushing yards allowed. Cleveland dominated at the line of scrimmage and was having their way with Dallas. This is a glaring issue for Dallas and one that needs to be fixed if Dallas wants to be considered serious contenders. You cannot rely on the offense to score 35 points a game to win games and that is the way it has been so far this season.

Nick Chubb

Even in a win, Cleveland left the game without their star running back Nick Chubb. Early in the game, Chubb got his leg rolled up and was forced to leave the game with a knee injury. When asked in an interview, head coach Kevin Stefanski said Chubb is going for an MRI on his knee and they do not know the severity of if yet. The Browns will hope for the best, but nobody really knows the status of the star running back until the results come back.

Looking Ahead

In Week 5, Cleveland will head back home to take on the Indianapolis Colts (3-1), where they will look to extend their three-game winning streak. As for Dallas, their schedule starts to soften up as they take on the New York Giants (0-4) and look to start rattling off some wins.

Info from profootballreference.com

Kevin Stefanski interview from clevelandbrowns.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas