2024 offseason primer: Browns facing potential franchise-altering decisions

Few would argue that Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t earn his 2023 AP Coach of the Year award.

The fourth-year coach led the Browns to an 11-6 record and a playoff appearance despite losing quarterback Deshaun Watson, running back Nick Chubb, left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. and right tackle Jack Conklin at various points in the year to season-ending injuries. Stefanski also got four wins in six games with five straight 300-yard performances out of 39-year-old QB Joe Flacco, who he signed off the street in Week 13.

Now Stefanski and team owner Jimmy Haslam have some difficult decisions to make during the offseason including a hard-look assessment of whether they made a huge mistake in trading for Watson two seasons ago and whether Chubb has a long-term future with the team or if 2024 will be his last ride.

Because of Watson’s $63.97M guaranteed cap hit, which is roughly one-quarter of Cleveland’s cap space, the team’s hands are tied financially in trying to add more pieces to keep a playoff roster intact. In two seasons since the trade, Watson has given the Browns 12 combined games, 2,217 yards passing, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The Browns performed much better with Flacco running the show toward the end of the season.

Here’s everything else you need to know about Cleveland’s offseason:

PROJECTED 2024 CAP SPACE:  -$7.72M (sixth-worst in NFL)

FREE AGENTS | Offense: QB Joe Flacco; RB Kareem Hunt; WRs Jakeem Grant, Marquise Goodwin and James Proche; TE Harrison Bryant; OTs Geron Christian and Michael Dunn; Center Nick Harris

Defense: DTs Shelby Harris, Maurice Hurst and Jordan Elliott; LBs Anthony Walker Jr., Jacob Phillips, Sione Takitaki, Jordan Kunaszyk, Za’Darius Smith and Matthew Adams; CBs Michael Ford and Bopete Keyes; Safeties Rodney McLeod Jr., Kahlef Hailassie and Duron Harmon

Special teams: Punter Corey Bojorquez

Outlook: Flacco’s situation is an intriguing one. He played well enough in his six starts at the end of the season and in the playoffs to possibly earn a shot to be a bridge starter on another team next season. If the Browns aren’t completely sold on Watson, then perhaps they could entice Flacco to return as an insurance policy. The same can be said for Hunt, who formed a solid tandem with Jerome Ford after Chubb went down in Week 2. However, his nine-touchdown performance could have maybe opened the door for him to get more carries on a different team too.

Harris, Hurst and Elliott played the second-, third- and fourth-most snaps of Browns defensive tackles in 2023, and at least one of them should be retained (Hurst makes the most sense as a 28-year-old with a track record of solid production). With six linebackers also hitting the market in March, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a player like Takitaki (66 tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss) or Walker Jr. (44 tackles) brought back.

2024 DRAFT PICKS:  Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 5 (via Carolina) | Round 5 (via Arizona) | Round 6 (via Houston) | Round 6 (via Baltimore) | Round 7 (via Atlanta)

TOP DRAFT NEEDS (in order): WR, DT, Edge-rusher, OT, DB — Receiver is arguably the Browns’ biggest area of need. Amari Cooper is still a top weapon, but he’s about to be 30 and he doesn’t fit what the team truly lacks — a legitimate deep-ball threat or a playmaking slot option. Fortunately, the 2024 draft is deep at the position, and even in Round 2, the Browns could still find a true starting-caliber wideout like Georgia’s Ladd McConkey or Texas’ Xavier Worthy or Adonai Mitchell to pair with Cooper and Elijah Moore.

The defensive line also needs some work as nobody aside from 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett had more than 5.5 sacks this season. Of the team’s 49 sacks, only 8.5 came from the defensive tackle position. So if Cleveland is looking to upgrade at DT, Clemson’s Ruke Orhorhoro or Oregon’s Brandon Dorlus would make a lot of sense.

DRAFT PROSPECTS TO WATCH: McConkey, WR, Georgia; Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas; Xavier Worthy, Texas; Ruke Orhorhoro, DT, Clemson; Brandon Dorlus, DT, Oregon; Michael Hall Jr., DT, Ohio State; Adisa Isaac, Edge, Penn State; Jonah Elliss, Edge, Utah; Austin Booker, Edge, Kansas; Blake Fisher, OT, Notre Dame; Patrick Paul, OT, Houston; Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale; Khyree Jackson, CB, Oregon; Mike Sainristil, CB, Michigan; Jaden Hicks, S, Washington State

THREE 2024 STORYLINES TO WATCH:

What happens with Watson, Flacco and the rest of the QBs?

Is 2024 Chubb’s last year with the team?

Who’s released to create some breathing room with the salary cap?