Jerry Jeudy eked out the Browns' single-season receiving record with six catches to give him 90 for the year, eclipsing the record of 89 held by Ozzie Newsome and Kellen Winslow II. (Cleveland Browns)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is an analyst of the Cleveland Browns for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
BALTIMORE, MD
Kevin Stefanski can step aside now. His job is done.
He sunk to the level of a 3-14 coach after a totally expected blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens, 35-10. The Browns could not cover a 19.5 point-spread, the largest of the NFL season. Don’t blame him.
The Browns sat out about one-third of their regulars and started third- and fourth-stringers in some critical positions, including quarterback, to secure no worse than the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 draft.
That was the mission and it was accomplished.
The Browns can rise to No. 2 in the draft order if either New England (v. Buffalo) or Tennessee (v. Houston) win on Sunday. They can soar to No. 1 if both teams miraculously are victorious. Either way, the Browns could be in position to select one of the top quarterbacks in a sub-par quarterback draft.
Sometime in the past month, Stefanski was assured of returning for a sixth season as Browns coach, which came with the directive to bench quarterback Jameis Winston and play Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe to see if either could be in the mix next season.
Zappe looked better in his one start than DTR did in his two, but neither stepped forward as viable options to “compete” with franchise-albatross Deshaun Watson in the 2025 training camp. A veteran quarterback – not Winston – is expected to be added before the draft.
Although the Browns lost their last six games to finish with the fourth-worst win percentage (.176) in their expansion era – third-worst under Haslam ownership – Stefanski was able to command the attention and respect of his battered team. He declined to comment in general about the worst season of his five as Browns coach.
“Ask me that tomorrow morning,” he said. “I think I'll do some reflecting tomorrow morning.”
So now the focus turns to GM Andrew Berry and, to some extent, owner Jimmy Haslam.
Berry will address the media on Monday or Tuesday. Anyone who has listened to Berry for five years knows it will be a fingernails-on-chalkboard experience for those seeking insight on future Browns plans.
Unless Haslam cleans house, which is highly unlikely, the owner will not comment until NFL owners meetings in late March.
So questions of about who stays and who goes probably will not be answered immediately.
Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey certainly did not distinguish himself in his role as play-caller over the last 11 games. His call on the Browns’ first possession – a deep handoff to D’Onta Foreman on third-and-4 at the Ravens’ 43-yard line --might have been telegraphed from above. Either way, his return would be met with rotten tomatoes from Browns fans.
Surprisingly, there was drama in this game.
Such as:
* Would the Browns cover the largest point-spread (19.5) in this NFL season?
The defense forced two turnovers on downs in the first half and was the reason the Browns trailed by only 21-3 into the fourth quarter. One of Baltimore's touchdowns came on a Pick 6 by cornerback Nate Wiggins thrown by Zappe.
Then Ravens running back Derrick Henry exploded for 130 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to secure the comfortable Baltimore victory and propel the Ravens (12-5) to their second consecutive AFC North title.
* Could Jerry Jeudy rewrite the Browns’ receiving record book? He needed six receptions to break Ozzie Newsome’s 89-catch record for a single season. It took a while, but he did it.
The first-ever Zappe-to-Jeudy connection took forever. Jeudy didn’t make his first catch until 3:01 left in the third quarter on his sixth target.
Jeudy got his third reception shortly into the fourth quarter. Needing three to break the record, Jeudy got one of the Browns’ penultimate possession and then two at the end to finish with a franchise record 90 on the season.
“He deserved it,” Stefanski said.
Jeudy said there was conversation in the huddle to get him the record.
“I'm just thankful and blessed,” Jeudy said. “I'm thankful for the coach and staff for giving me this opportunity to break the record.”
* Would Myles Garrett pad his sack total to contend for the league sack title?
Garrett had a tackle-for-loss on the Browns’ first defensive snap of the game and chased Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson all day until he was lifted with 2:16 to play. But he couldn’t catch him and he ended his season with 14 sacks. Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson notched 3.5 in the evening game against the Steelers to surge to the top with 17.5.
“My mind was right, but my legs were killing me going into the game,” Garrett said. “It was tough to deal with.”
Garrett, who has put the organization on notice that he doesn’t want to live through another “rebuilding” era, reiterated that he will have “conversations” with Haslam and Berry to determine his future with the organization. The Browns want to extend Garrett's contract. If he doesn't comply, he could force a trade.
“You want to look at [the future] objectively and not emotionally,” Garrett said. “You want to allow yourself to decompress and make the best decision for yourself.”
Garrett was sullen after the loss.
“We lost,” he said. “The season’s over. You shouldn’t expect me to be happy.”
Yes, the season is over.
Now the drama intensifies.