Browns' offensive struggles highlight offseason missteps: 'We got to get it fixed'

When the Cleveland Browns (1-5) made a change at quarterback two weeks ago, benching veteran Joe Flacco (who was later traded to the Bengals) for rookie Dillon Gabriel, coach Kevin Stefanski reiterated that the issues on offense weren't limited to the quarterback position.

And while the offense has remained stagnant in Gabriel's two starts, it has prompted Stefanski to say he will "look at all things" in the aftermath of Cleveland's 23-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

The nine points were the fewest the Browns have scored in a game this season. It also extended their streak of scoring 17 or fewer points to 11 straight games, which is a franchise record. Through six games, Cleveland once again has the lowest-scoring offense in the NFL (13.67 points per game) and is averaging 4.1 yards per play, the second-lowest mark in the league.

Stefanski on Monday said he will call plays in Sunday's Week 7 home game against the 1-5 Miami Dolphins (1 p.m. ET, CBS).

"I'm going to keep calling plays," Stefanski said, "but I want to stress that we have to get better in so many areas and that includes coaching, that includes how we teach our guys, how we put them in different formations, the ways you run the ball, ways you pass the ball. All the above."

The Browns' continued search for answers, though, has highlighted missteps in the organization's approach to rectifying an offense that was one of the worst in the NFL last season.

Despite fielding an offense that scored the fewest points in the NFL last season (258), the Browns didn't make major changes to the unit's personnel. On the coaching side, Ken Dorsey was fired as offensive coordinator and Tommy Rees was promoted to OC, while Stefanski reassumed the playcalling duties that he relinquished midway through the 2024 season.

The team brought back its experienced but aging and oft-injured offensive line and signed veterans Cornelius Lucas and Teven Jenkins as depth. Lucas has started three games because of injuries to Jack Conklin and Dawand Jones, the latter of whom suffered a season-ending leg injury in Week 3. But Lucas' pass block win rate (79.8%) ranks 59th out of 65 qualifying tackles and he has been a healthy scratch in the past two games. Two weeks ago, the Browns traded with the Houston Texans for veteran tackle Cam Robinson, who started at left tackle against the Steelers but exited with a knee injury.

The belief was that a return to the offensive scheme Stefanski operated in his first seasons as coach would lead to more comfort and better execution, especially in the run game. The Browns have at times found their footing on the ground behind rookie running back Quinshon Judkins. Cleveland ranks 14th in ESPN's run block win rate (71.7%), and Judkins ranks seventh in the league in rushing yards per game (76.6).

Pass protection has been leaky all season, though, and in games like Sunday's loss to the Steelers when the run game was limited (65 yards on 17 attempts), it becomes magnified. The Browns have used five different players at offensive tackle this season because of injuries. Cleveland ranks 27th in pass block win rate (53.2%), and Gabriel was sacked six times against the Steelers as he dropped back to pass 58 times.

"He's a tough kid. We got to keep him clean," Stefanski said of Gabriel. "Obviously when the game turns into how it turned, a two-score game, you have to drop back and that's a tough team to drop back versus, but he kept battling. It wasn't for a lack of effort by him or by anybody. Made some plays, but we just got to be better."

The Browns' pass catchers haven't helped matters. Cleveland leads the NFL with 13 drops, including a league-leading five from wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, who has struggled after being named to his first Pro Bowl last season.

Of the five Browns wide receivers and tight ends who qualify for ESPN's Receiver Scores -- Jeudy, wide receivers Cedric Tillman and Isaiah Bond and tight end David Njoku and Harold Fannin Jr. -- all rank in the bottom-15 among 89 players. The metric uses player tracking data from NFL Next Gen Stats to analyze every route run -- including those that are untargeted -- and assess receiver performance in three distinct phases: getting open, contesting and making the catch, and generating yards after the catch (YAC).

Cleveland's biggest additions at the skill positions came in the draft in Judkins, a second-round pick, and Fannin, a third-round pick. Fannin leads the team in receptions (28) and receiving yards (254).

Tillman, a 2023 third-round pick, entered the season as a starting wide receiver opposite Jeudy with a combined 50 catches in his first two seasons. He caught 11 passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns in four games before suffering a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve.

The player who has taken his spot in the lineup, Bond, has only been with the team for two months after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent days before the preseason finale. Bond has caught 11 passes for 123 yards.

The struggles in the passing game have come as defenses are seemingly playing schemes that are conducive to explosive plays downfield. The Browns are facing split-safety looks on 43.4% of their dropbacks, according to ESPN Research, the 10th-lowest rate in the NFL, and are facing man coverage on 48.7% of their dropbacks, the third-highest rate in the NFL. However, Cleveland's 22 explosive passing plays are the second fewest in the league.

"I'd say we're seeing normal looks," center Ethan Pocic said. "We expect a safety down. We just got to execute better."

Gabriel hasn't turned the ball over in two starts, but his presence hasn't been enough to change the complexion of the Browns' passing offense. His 4.8 yards per attempt are the lowest mark in the NFL among qualified passers, and his 5.8 air yards per attempt are third lowest in the league. And Gabriel, a normally pinpoint passer -- he had a 10.1% off-target rate during his six-year college career -- has struggled with accuracy. He is completing 57.3% of his passes, and his 18.8% off-target rate is the fifth-highest mark in the NFL.

"We have to find ways to be explosive on offense and that can come via the run or the pass and explosive pass can happen in a variety of different ways," Stefanski said. "But it really comes down to our ability as an offense to put those guys in position, protect the quarterback, and then when those opportunities come, we got to let it rip. But I think that can come in a variety of ways."

Penalties on offense also continue to be a persistent issue for a unit that was at the top of the league in the category last season.

The Browns' offense has been flagged for 32 penalties, including declined infractions, the third most in the NFL. Last season, Cleveland's offense was flagged for the second-most penalties in the NFL (85). The infractions are compounding missed assignments and lapses in execution.

"We got to get it fixed because before you start winning, you've got to stop losing," Stefanski said. "And we're doing some things right now that are preventing us from winning. We'll get it fixed."

As the Browns' decades-long search for a solution at quarterback continues -- Gabriel and fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders are the quarterbacks that remain from a room that also included Flacco and Kenny Pickett, who was traded to the Las Vegas as part of roster cuts, when training camp opened -- Steelers coach Mike Tomlin on Monday questioned the team's decision to trade Flacco to a division rival.