The latest Cleveland Browns news and notes from around the NFL in the Saturday Dawg Chow.
The Cleveland Browns are two weeks into the latest “most-important offseason” and the club is keeping busy.
The team is still working through its options when it comes to the next step with quarterback Deshaun Watson and his contract. General manager Andrew Berry is building a list of potential free agents, with some familiar names on his notepad, while also adding an intriguing prospect.
On the coaching front, head coach Kevin Stefanski filled an open position on his staff by promoting Tommy Rees from passing game specialist/tight ends coach Tommy Rees to offensive coordinator. Sadly, that won’t end the incessant questioning about whether or not Stefanski will continue to call the offensive plays, but one problem at a time.
No offseason in Cleveland would be without talk of the NFL Draft and if that is a route the club will use to fix the ongoing quarterback problem. And let’s not forget about the ongoing drama over a new stadium.
This is all taking place with the NFL playoffs as a backdrop, with today’s games featuring the Houston Texans vs. the Kansas City Chiefs this afternoon and a nightcap of the Washington Commanders against the Detroit Lions.
While you bide your time waiting for kickoff, get caught up on all the latest news in today’s edition of the Saturday Dawg Chow.
Dawgs By Nature:
- Browns NFL free agency: 3 free agents that would completely change the team (Barry Shuck) – The Cleveland Browns have holes everywhere you look. But for each hole, there is a solid player that if a decent guy was paired with, the position could be productive.
- Deshaun Watson’s contract: Former NFL exec has silly reason Browns might not void deal (Jared Mueller) – On The Ross Tucker Podcast, former Green Bay Packers executive Andrew Brandt noted something that the Cleveland Browns may want to consider regarding quarterback Deshaun Watson’s contract.
- Myles Garrett speaks about the Browns future (Curtiss Brown) – On the latest episode of Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett gave an interesting answer regarding the team’s outlook in terms of their contention window.
- Denzel Ward: Browns need to solidify the quarterback position (Chris Pokorny) – Teammates tried to be good soldiers and support QB Deshaun Watson over the past couple of years through all of his struggles. Now, we have a star player who definitively says that the Browns “need to solidify the quarterback position.”
Cleveland Browns:
- Browns 2025 offseason: 3 burning defensive questions include JOK’s health (Beacon Journal) – The bulk of the questions about the Cleveland Browns since their disastrous 3-14 season concluded nearly two weeks ago have centered on one side of the football. Of course, when an offense is as bad as the Browns offense was last season, it’s understandable that it would draw the attention. That doesn’t mean the Browns defense doesn’t have its own questions to answer.
- 4 burning questions the Browns defense must answer in 2025 (cleveland.com) – The Cleveland Browns hoped to build on their strong defensive turnaround in 2023, but their 2024 performance fell short. Here are four questions they need to answer on the defensive side of the ball.
- Stadium fight between Browns and City of Cleveland getting uglier unnecessarily (Browns Zone) – Things didn’t have to be this way. The lawsuits, animosity and public bickering, while predictable, were unnecessary and avoidable.
- I-Team: 1-on-1 interview with man behind law blocking Cleveland Browns move (Fox 8 Cleveland) – The FOX 8 I-Team just went one-on-one with the man who wrote the state law that could force the Cleveland Browns to stay in Cleveland.
NFL:
- Titans hiring Mike Borgonzi as new general manager (NFL.com) – The Tennessee Titans are turning to the class of the AFC for their next personnel chief. The Titans are hiring Kansas City Chiefs assistant general manager Mike Borgonzi as their next GM, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Friday.
- Jared Goff and the Lions: The NFL’s most unlikely love story (ESPN) – There is a version of this story that doesn’t feature a happy ending for Jared Goff in Detroit. Or, technically speaking, a happy new beginning.
- The ball-knower’s guide to Bills vs. Ravens (The Ringer) – Josh Allen. Lamar Jackson. Sub-freezing temperatures. Who has the edge when the Buffalo Bills face the Baltimore Ravens?