The latest Cleveland Browns news and notes from around the NFL in the Sunday Dawg Chow.
The NFL Playoffs roll along today with one game that might be entertaining in the Los Angeles Rams vs. the Philadelphia Eagles, and the marquee game of the weekend as the Buffalo Bills host the Baltimore Ravens.
That game features two quarterbacks who are at the top of the MVP discussion in Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson.
Both quarterbacks are worthy of being considered, but today’s game has bigger implications. The Bills will be looking to advance past the divisional round of the playoffs for the first time since 2000, coincidentally a game where they beat the Ravens.
It has been a similar trajectory for the Ravens, who despite all of Jackson’s regular-season success have only won three playoff games with Jackson as the starting quarterback. To put that into perspective, that is only one more playoff win than teams have achieved with Baker Mayfield at quarterback.
For all the talk about Jackson potentially picking up his third regular-season MVP award, and Allen’s ability to take over a game in multiple ways, one will be going into the offseason later today.
Of course, those are the types of problems that the Cleveland Browns and their fans dream of while facing another offseason of draft talk instead of playoffs.
So while you bide your time waiting for kickoff, get caught up on all the latest news in today’s edition of the Sunday Dawg Chow.
Dawgs By Nature:
- Shannon Sharpe shares what he thinks Deion thinks about Shedeur Sanders with Browns (Jared Mueller) – Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders seem destined for the Cleveland Browns in the 2025 NFL draft but Deion Sanders looms.
- 2025 Browns Schedule: Which home, road games are the most attractive to attend? (Damon Wolfe) – While there is an obvious choice, there are many other interesting options as desirable games to attend.
- 4 Lions free agents the Browns could pursue (Jared Mueller) – The Detroit Lions, the NFC’s top seed, the Detroit Lions, who have just four players who logged over 50% of the unit’s snaps this year hitting free agency.
- 5 Chiefs free agents the Browns could pursue (Jared Mueller) – The Kansas City Chiefs have a handful of players, including a familiar name, who the Cleveland Browns might be interested in when free agency opens.
- Former Browns center elected to College Football HoF (Thomas Moore) – Former Cleveland Browns center Alex Mack added to his résumé last week with the announcement that he will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2025.
Cleveland Browns:
- Browns fans deserve answers from the Haslams, not silence (Browns Zone) – Here is something that should happen, but won’t: The Haslams publicly explaining and apologizing to their customers for the entire Deshaun Watson debacle, which, competitively, has set back the Browns organization multiple years, demoralized the fan base and reduced the on-the-field product to a level well beneath what is rightfully expected of what was once one of the National Football League’s proudest and most storied franchises.
- 5 projections for the Browns 1st round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft (clevelandbrowns.com) – With the 2024 regular season wrapped, and the draft order officially set, the Browns turn their focus to draft season. So, let’s take a look at early mock drafts to see who the draft experts and analysts believe could be options for the Browns for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
- Tommy Rees’ to-do list as Browns offensive coordinator: QB, run game, help for Jerry Jeudy (Beacon Journal) – The Cleveland Browns have chosen a new offensive coordinator. That job will go to Tommy Rees. Regardless of if head coach Kevin Stefanski calls the plays or Rees does, there’s plenty on Rees’ to-do list as offensive coordinator. Here are a few of the biggest ones.
- Why Kevin Stefanski waited until midseason to turn play-calling over to O.C. Ken Dorsey, and will he let Tommy Rees do it? (cleveland.com) – Kevin Stefanski’s play-calling decisions in 2024 seemed counterintuitive with Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator.
NFL:
- How agents impact coaching searches, and why the NFL cares (ESPN) – Whatever the timing, Matt Eberflus’ firing followed a trend of failed Chicago Bears coaches. But his 2022 hiring was part of another pattern, too, one that both the Bears’ fan base and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell have now clocked — with concern.
- Expect the Bills’ offense to show up in playoff rematch vs. the Ravens (wgrz.com) – The Buffalo Bills played their worst game of the season on both sides of the ball back in Week 4 against the Baltimore Ravens. That’s unlikely to happen a second time.
- Raiders DE Maxx Crosby wants ‘stability and winning’ from next HC, chance to be ‘playing at this time of year’ (NFL.com) – As one of only two NFL teams that need to fill openings in both the general manager and head coach positions this offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders are situated to have a significant amount of turnover between now and the start of the 2025 season.