This simply was not supposed to be the 2019 outcome for the lowly Cleveland Browns. Heading into the regular season, expectations were rather high. This was supposed to be finally the Browns year to make a step and contend in the AFC.
On March 13, the Browns made NFL headlines when they acquired wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and defensive end Olivier Vernon from the New York Giants for safety Jabrill Peppers, guard Kevin Zeitler, and the Browns first and third-round picks in the NFL Draft. There was also excitement with Freddie Kitchens as the new Browns head coach because he seemed to build a strong rapport with quarterback Baker Mayfield as their offensive coordinator.
Beckham Jr. was supposed to be the star wideout that the Browns were looking for. However the fact that Beckham Jr. has only had two touchdown receptions in 2019, could be considered a major disappointment. Especially, when you consider he reached 35 touchdown catches from 2014 to 2016. In fact, Beckham Jr. does not even lead the Browns in receiving yards. The Browns leader in that category is Jarvis Landry, with 1092 yards.
The Browns have also seen a drop in production from Mayfield. In his rookie season of 2018, Mayfield had a touchdown to interception ratio of 27:14. This season, it is only 19:18. As a result, Mayfield’s quarterback rating has dropped from 93.7 to 79.1.
Now due to the fact that once again the Browns are on the outside looking in for a playoff spot (six wins and nine losses), it appears very likely that Kitchens will be coaching is final game with the Browns on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. A year of mediocrity is simply not good enough for the Browns and their faithful fans who were expecting so much more.
