As part of the Sharp Football Draft Kit, Raymond Summerlin is posting a fantasy football preview for all 32 NFL teams.
This preview includes advanced stats, the fantasy football outlook for Deshaun Watson, Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, David Njoku, Nick Chubb, and every other notable Brown as well as in-depth analysis of the coaching staff, passing game, and rushing attack.
Find a link to every team preview in our Draft Kit Hub.
- The Browns threw the ball on 41% of their first downs with Deshaun Watson at quarterback last season. They threw the ball on 60% of their first downs with Joe Flacco.
- On 364 routes without Watson on the field last season, David Njoku averaged 1.94 yards per route run and led the team with a 23.8% target share. On 155 routes with Watson, Njoku averaged 1.14 yards per route run and a 15.8% target share.
- Jerome Ford finished 41st among qualifying running backs in yards per carry and second to last in negative run rate last season.
2023 Browns Stats (NFL Rank):
- Points: 396 (10th)
- Total Offense: 5,710 (16th)
- Plays: 1,187 (1st)
- Yards Per Play: 4.8 (28th)
- Offensive TDs: 39 (11th)
- Points Per Drive: 1.69 (23rd)
- Situation Neutral Pace: 27.2 (5th)
2024 Browns Coaching Staff:
- Head Coach: Kevin Stefanski
- Offensive Coordinator: Ken Dorsey
It is fair to question what the Browns want this offense to be after they supercharged their pass rate with Joe Flacco at quarterback last season.
From Week 13 to Week 17, only the Chiefs had a higher dropback rate than the Browns in the first three quarters of games.
We have not seen Kevin Stefanski trust Deshaun Watson with that kind of passing volume.
The Browns were 7% under their expected pass rate with Watson at quarterback in 2022 and 6% under their expected pass rate in the first 10 weeks of last season.
They threw the ball on 41% of their first downs with Watson at quarterback last season.
They threw the ball on 60% of their first downs with Flacco.
Stefanski is going to continue to call the plays, but GM Andrew Berry said new OC Ken Dorsey will help the team “be better in the dropback game, the RPO game and really kind of expand our use of motion in our core concepts — and also increase our tempo.”
The Browns were already fifth in situation-neutral pace last season, but it certainly sounds like the offense could look a lot more like what we saw down the stretch with Flacco last season, meaning Stefanski would have to trust Watson more than he has to this point.
If he does, that could open up enough targets for a suddenly crowded receiver group.
Don’t miss out on the best fantasy football coverage in the business
Like the NFL, fantasy football never sleeps.
Best ball season is in full swing, and traditional drafts are right around the corner.
Sharp Football has everything you need to prepare for both in our Fantasy Football Draft Kit, powered by premier fantasy football analyst Rich Hribar.
Save more by bundling the Draft Kit with our in-season fantasy package that features Rich’s comprehensive “Worksheet” preview of every game, every week of the NFL season.
Click here for more information about our fantasy coverage!
2023 Browns Passing Stats:
- Dropbacks: 694 (6th)
- Neutral Pass Rate: 53.4 (15th)
- Pass Rate Over Expected: -3.7% (23rd)
- Pressure Rate Allowed: 35.4% (15th)
- ESPN Pass Block Win Rate: 64% (4th)
2024 Browns Passing Game Preview:
To continue reading this article
and gain access to all of Rich Hribar’s industry leading content both before and during the season, click below to purchase our fantasy football bundle.
Learn More
