State of the Browns: A team as frustrating as ever
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Drama in the Dawg Pound. Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images
The Browns lost again on Sunday, giving fans a chance to stew in the misery of yet another disappointing season.
Why it matters: The team's immediate future looks, perhaps, as bleak as ever — all while the Cavaliers and Guardians are thriving.
What they're saying: If you need any more evidence that the Browns are in trouble, other than a last-place record, take it from one of their all-time greats.
- "It's as frustrating as I've ever been as a fan, and I include my time as a player," Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Thomas said during a recent appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show."
- That's coming from a man who played for Browns teams that went 1-15 in 2016 and 0-16 in 2017.
State of play: The Dawg Pound began the season with modest hopes, as the Browns ranked in the middle of the pack with +4000 odds of winning the Super Bowl.
- Those odds now sit at +50000.
- Cleveland is 2-8, bringing up the rear of the AFC North.
- On Oct. 15, the team traded star receiver Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills. The next game, quarterback Deshaun Watson's season ended with a ruptured Achilles.
The big picture: Watson is at the center of the Browns' struggles, not just with his poor play but with a contract with $92 million in guaranteed money that limits what Cleveland can do with its roster.
- Watson was already a polarizing figure amongst fans due to a history of sexual misconduct allegations.
One reader's take: "I'm a lifelong Cleveland Browns fan who has about given up," Cleveland resident Kevin Kroeger tells Axios.Â
- "[I'm] very disappointed in the Haslams for signing Watson in the first place. They have zero respect for their female fan base."
Between the lines: Adding to fans' strife is the uncertainty of where the team will play after its lease on the lakefront stadium expires in 2028.
- The City of Cleveland wants to keep the team downtown, but owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam have already unveiled plans for a domed stadium in Brook Park.
What's next: Throughout this week, our newsletter is taking a deeper dive into the team's ownership, roster and stadium situation.
📩 Email us at [email protected] with your thoughts on the team.
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