Cleveland amassed an impressive
collection of high picks.
Unlike the Sixers, the Browns never
openly admitted they were tanking. But
the team made it clear that it had an eye
toward the future, repeatedly trading
down in the draft to gather even more
selections. (Among the players chosen
with picks originally owned by Cleveland:
Eagles QB Carson Wentz, Texans
QB Deshaun Watson, and Falcons receiver
Julio Jones.)
Last offseason, the Browns finally
started cashing in that draft capital.
Landry was unhappy in Miami, and the
Dolphins traded him to Cleveland for
picks in 2018 and ’19. A year later, two
more picks (plus safety Jabrill Peppers) got
them Beckham, who desperately wanted
to get out of New York.
“I feel like we spoke this into existence,
almost,” said Beckham. “He and I
dreamed of this. This is something we
talked about at 17: I’m gonna live right
down the street from you. We’re gonna be on
the same team. It’s surreal.”
Landry was just as emotional when he
found out. He called Beckham, and, he
says, “I cried.... I cried with [GM] John
[Dorsey] , I cried with [coach] Freddie [Kitchens].
I know for me, not only as a player but as a person,
he’s definitely someone my life needs.”
The Browns rejoined the NFL in 1999. (The
franchise moved to Baltimore in ’96 and became the
Ravens; Cleveland was immediately given a new
team, which would start play three years later.) Since
then, the team has had only five 1,000-yard seasons
by a wide receiver—and no one has done it more than
once. That’s an average of one every four years.
Beckham has had four 1,000-yard seasons in five
years (and the only reason he missed out on the fifth
was injury). Landry has had two 1,000-yard seasons
in his five-year career and has hit 975 in two others.
Jim Brown Calls It Quits
In 1965, the Browns had
won four championships
in their 16 years in the
NFL. Then Hall of Fame
running back Jim Brown,
the reigning MVP, retired
at age 31 to become an
actor. They haven’t won a
title since.Broncos Blues
The Browns lost three
AFC title games to
Denver in the 1980s.
In one they allowed a
98-yard scoring drive in
the final five minutes.
In another they
fumbled away the tying
TD at the goal line.A NEW BEGINNING
Why have the Browns struggled so much to find a decent
wide receiver? A big part of the reason is that they’ve
struggled even more to find a quarterback. The team has
used a staggering 30 starting QBs since 1999; in the same
span of time, the Patriots have used five.
The Browns’ 0–16 season in 2017 meant they had the top
pick in the draft the following April. Instead of trading
down yet again, Cleveland used the pick on Baker Mayfield.
The brash Heisman winner from Oklahoma wasn’t a
slam-dunk pick. The draft was loaded with quarterbacks,
most of whom were built more like prototypical NFL QBs
than the 6' 1" Mayfield.(^) JO
RD
AN
(^) NA
HO
LOW
A’A
(^) MU
RP
H (^) (
MA
YFI
ELD
); (^) W
ARN
ER
BRO
S/E
VE
RET
T (^) C
OL
LEC
TIO
N
(JIM
(^) BR
OW
N);
(^) TO
NY
TOM
SIC
(^) (B
RO
NCO
S)