BEREA, Ohio — It’s been a problem without a solution for the Cleveland Browns over the last two seasons.
And no, for once, it’s not the quarterback question.
In addition to determining their quarterback situation, addressing the troubling turnover trends, which have made Cleveland one of the worst teams in the NFL when it comes to giveaways over the last two years, will be one of the top tasks for new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.
“I think when your players, when the message is very clear, when the expectation on certain plays is very clear, when the teaching progression allows them to have confidence and play on time, on schedule, I think that helps limit those things,” Rees said on Thursday during his introductory press conference.
Let’s dive into the numbers to paint the picture of just how dire things have gotten with the Browns’ ball security.
In 2024, they ranked last in the league with a net turnover differential of minus-22. Their 31 total giveaways were tied for worst in the league. Their 23 interceptions were the worst in the league, and their 11 fumbles were tied for 24th.
Those numbers weren’t far off from the year prior.
In 2023, the Browns ranked 25th with a minus-9 net turnover differential. Their 37 total giveaways put them at the bottom of the league, as did their 23 interceptions. Their 14 fumbles ranked 29th.
There’s been multiple factors at play concerning these bad numbers.
In each of the last two years, the Browns have had gunslingers as backup QBs, and needed them to play significant amounts of time with Deshaun Watson’s injuries. Jameis Winston threw 12 interceptions this past season. In 2023, Joe Flacco threw eight in only five regular season starts, and two more in their wild card loss to the Texans.
This past year, the Browns were also throwing the ball a lot because they weren’t playing with very many leads. Winston was taking some big chances in an attempt to get them out of trouble.
“Obviously interceptions pile up. We have to make sure that there is no gray area for those quarterbacks, and then we’ve got to preach good ball security for the carriers,” Rees said.
The Browns have also struggled to develop a run game, with Nick Chubb suffering his catastrophic knee injury in Week 2 of 2023, working his way back in 2024, and former OC Ken Dorsey’s system getting away from the run overall. In 2024, the Browns ranked 29th, averaging 94.6 rushing yards per game and 23rd with 4.11 rushing yards per play.
But with the Watson era essentially over and the quarterback room in flux, the turnover question as a whole becomes much more difficult to answer until the Browns know for sure who will be running their offense in 2025.
On that topic, Rees was staying largely silent. He wouldn’t say anything about specific quarterbacks in this year’s draft, or about Cleveland’s approach to the draft process.
But Rees, the former Notre Dame starting quarterback from 2010-13 and former OC and QB coach at both his alma mater and Alabama, knows what he is looking for in general.
“At the end of the day, the quarterback’s job is to solve problems,” Rees said. “You’re going to be tasked 60, 70, 80 times a game to make a decision in a critical moment. And so I’ve always started with the ability to make quick decisions and make the right decisions. So if you said one thing over the other, I want a decision maker at that position.”
