Browns 1st and Goal Report: Trading places

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1st and Goal: Trading places

The Cleveland Browns were in full trade mode this week as both their veteran quarterback Joe Flacco and starting cornerback Greg Newsome were moved to new teams. The Cincinnati Bengals came calling for Flacco early in the week. The Bengals are desperate after their “Joe” Burrow went down with an injury earlier this season and have lost three in a row since that point. 

Not sure a 40-year-old quarterback (Flacco) will be able to help much, considering he’s had mobility issues in the pocket in recent games with the Browns. Cincinnati’s offensive line is in shambles, so good luck, “Joe”! 

The Browns traded Newsome to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have started the season hot with a 4-1 record. Cleveland got Tyson Campbell back in the trade. Campbell was a starting corner for the Jags. He and Newsome were drafted in the same draft back in 2021. Campbell was the first pick of the second round, while Newsome was drafted earlier in the first round.

From a statistical standpoint, Campbell has done more than Newsome in their time in the NFL. Campbell has recorded six interceptions to Newsome’s one. Campbell is excellent against the run, too. In his five seasons so far, he’s collected 296 tackles. He’s also recorded nine tackles for losses. Newsome only recorded 178 tackles with six for losses in the same time frame.

The Browns were looking for a player who could handle the run better than Newsome and play man-to-man in coverage. It was an excellent trade for the Browns and should help them even more defensively, whose squad is already ranked at No. 2.

2nd and Goal: Shedeur moves up to the backup QB role

The other big Browns news story was that quarterback Shedeur Sanders has moved up to the backup role behind starter and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel just made his first start last week against the Minnesota Vikings. Gabriel showed some good things by throwing two touchdowns in the game despite the loss. 

However, now he’ll have even more of the hot stage lights on his every move. There’s no escaping the pressure of the situation. While Gabriel may have the upper hand now, the Browns fan base is squarely behind seeing Sanders eventually take the reins at quarterback.

The question isn’t if we’ll see Sanders, it’s really when we see him in a game as the starter.

The Browns need to see what they have in these two rookies. Both are very good players and will have their moments. However, Gabriel is likely a lifetime backup quarterback, and Sanders is more the rising star.

3rd and Goal: More Quinshon Judkins, please

New Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins is off to a fantastic start to his career. Despite missing Week 1 of the season, he’s ranked 9th in the NFL. Judkins has collected 347 rushing yards already through four games. He’s been getting better every week. Last week, he went for 110 yards on 23 carries. His 4.8 yards a carry this season bodes well for the youngster moving forward. 

Pittsburgh is giving up 122 yards a game on average this season. Even more reason to believe the former Ohio State running back will continue to bolster his importance to his team’s offense moving forward. 

4th and Goal: Can the Browns win in Pittsburgh?

The Browns haven’t beaten the Steelers in Pittsburgh in a regular-season game going back to the 2003 season. Fans sometimes forget that Cleveland did beat Pittsburgh in 2020 in the opening round of the NFL playoffs, and Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was the coach that season as well. Though he was watching that game from his basement, recovering from COVID.

Pittsburgh is coming off its bye week, while Cleveland is coming back from Europe and has had no rest. The Browns are 5.5 underdogs in this game. I think the game will be close, especially with both teams’ defenses ready to defend. 

If the Browns offense can get a bit more from their offense (only averaging 14 points a game) then they might have a chance at the win.