Cleveland Browns' regression tied to their struggle to grasp human element | Opinion

BEREA, Ohio — On more than one occasion, Kevin Stefanski has been asked about the culture of the Browns, and the head coach has said it's simply about people.

He used his default answer again Monday in a season wrap-up news conference.

It's fitting because the Browns have a problem with people. They haven't managed, developed or taught them well enough the past two years.

Their struggle to grasp the human element on and off the football field is the main culprit in the team regressing throughout the Stefanski era - from 12-6, including 1-1 in the playoffs, in 2020 to 8-9 in 2021 to 7-10 in 2022.

Leadership. Communication. Unity. Discipline.

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The Browns have lacked the intangibles needed to capitalize on their talent and ensure it works together.

The most recent and significant consequence is a wasted 2022 in which they missed the playoffs, thereby squandering the first season of quarterback Deshaun Watson's five-year contract worth a historic $230 million fully guaranteed.

When the dust began to settle from Sunday's season-ending, 28-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Stefanski fired defensive coordinator Joe Woods.

Blown coverages in the secondary and glaring weaknesses against the run made the move predictable and understandable, but discarding Woods won't come close to fixing everything plaguing the organization.

The issues run deeper, and they start at the top.

Owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam underestimated the extent to which trading for Watson - accused by more than two dozen women of sexual misconduct or sexual assault during massage appointments - would divide their fan base. They were overly optimistic last offseason about the length of the suspension he would receive because they misread the league office's appetite for punishment. The 11-game ban doled out on the QB after a settlement between his camp and the NFL set the tone for a disappointing season.

Yet the Browns still could have overcome the fiasco and made a legitimate playoff push if they hadn't underachieved en route to records of 4-7 without Watson and 3-3 with him.

The defense and special teams were a mess for the majority of the season, sabotaging a team far from reaching its potential.

And when adversity hit, the Browns were missing leaders on the roster who could grab teammates by the scruff of the neck and pull them out of it.

Chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta and general manager Andrew Berry have not prioritized locker-room dynamics enough. Among the most damning pieces of evidence are their decisions to cut fiery veteran leaders such as wide receiver Jarvis Landry and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson in each of the past two offseasons.

Defensive end Myles Garrett, running back Nick Chubb, left guard Joel Bitonio, cornerback Denzel Ward and wide receiver Amari Cooper are quiet, lead-by-example standouts. As for Watson, he has characterized himself as shy by nature.

Perhaps the most noteworthy concession Berry offered Monday is the Browns "didn't necessarily have the right mix in all areas" of player leadership.

Asked whether the Browns need to address their shortage of vocal leaders this offseason, Berry said, "I think the bigger focus is effectiveness of leadership as opposed to necessarily style of leadership. So ultimately are we getting the results and the outcomes that are desired? And I think also the other thing is people are leaders in different ways. So again, I'd probably more focus on effectiveness as opposed to, 'Hey, you need X amount that are in this way, X amount that are that way.'"

Well, the results and outcomes haven't been good, and a chief reason the Browns need a more diverse mix of leadership styles in the locker room is Stefanski's low-key personality. A coach with Stefanski's demeanor can succeed in the NFL, but football is an emotional game fueled by passion.

The Steelers' Mike Tomlin, the Baltimore Ravens' John Harbaugh and the Tennessee Titans' Mike Vrabel are among the coaches at the other end of the spectrum, and it's hard to believe they need as many outspoken leaders on the depth chart as Stefanski does.

A properly balanced locker room would be able to police itself better than the 2022 Browns. They were young on paper and proved to be even more immature.

"It was the small things - small things on and off the field - that added up that came back to bite us in the butt on the field during games," Chubb said.

As Browns players cleaned out their lockers, safety John Johnson III said greater urgency is needed throughout team headquarters. In October, he pointed out not everyone in the building had been committed to doing the requisite extra work to thrive in an ultra-competitive league.

Garrett, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, rookie defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey and safety Grant Delpit are among the players who were disciplined by the coaching staff for violating team rules.

For the second year in a row, the Browns had a high-profile player blow up his relationship with the franchise during the season. Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. forced his way out last year with an assist from his dad, and Clowney was ruled out of Sunday's finale in the aftermath of his critical comments.

"As much as we thought we were a tight-knit group," cornerback Greg Newsome II said, "I think we've got to find ways to really bring everybody together."

Properly managing people is a vital ingredient in building chemistry.

Stefanski masterfully fostered camaraderie in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced a virtual offseason program. The Browns advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2002, and Stefanski won NFL Coach of the Year. Since then, the Browns have come closer together physically, only to grow farther apart in their collective cohesion.

A prime example is players yelling at each other in the locker room after a 23-20 loss to the Ravens on Oct. 23 in Baltimore. Browns beat writers who were in a nearby interview room heard someone shout about an absence of leadership amid the ruckus. Frustrated with his usage in the same game, Clowney had refused to play on first and second down, defensive line coach Chris Kiffin said last week.

Although Newsome emphasized the coaches have open-door policies for players, including disgruntled ones, there is clearly a disconnect because some situations were left to fester and boil over instead of being diffused behind the scenes.

Berry accurately stated "everybody's human" and will "make mistakes."

The problem is there's a pattern of those self-inflicted wounds among the Browns, and team-building strategies ought to shift as a result.

An infusion of veteran leadership and a new defensive coaching staff should help with accountability.

And elite quarterback play could compensate for organizational deficiencies, though Watson must still prove he can fully shed nearly two years of rust and reward the Haslams for their controversial, Super Bowl-or-bust acquisition of him.

If those solutions don't come to fruition and spark a turnaround, Stefanski, DePodesta and Berry will find their job security further waning a year from now, if not sooner.

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Browns regress because of struggle to grasp human element