Pete Smith of the Orange & Brown Report wrote an interesting piece about what he views as a lack of enthusiasm among Cleveland Browns fans for the 2024 NFL season. Smith makes the point that this is not a slight on the fans but on the Browns management.
He finds it an interesting dichotomy because the Browns have one of the most talented rosters since they came back into the NFL in 1999, and yet he thinks some of the less talented teams generated more preseason excitement.
Smith cites the team's decisions which kept the players at arm's length from the fans this preseason including practicing outside of Ohio at The Greenbrier in West Virginia, fewer open practices at Berea, and no open practices at Huntington Bank Field.
It has felt like a litany of bad news out of Cleveland lately so Smith's assessment seems right. The latest and worst blow is that Jim Donovan will not be in the booth. The "voice of the Browns" since 1999's absence is dreaded by many who have relied on his voice and analysis for the past 25 years.
The Browns tried to trade away a fan-favorite in Amari Cooper. Whether fans wanted Brandon Aiyuk or not, Cooper has been a stabilizing force over the past couple of seasons. Fans love him.
Speaking of players fans loved, Joe Flacco was not re-signed, and Jameis Winston was chosen instead. Flacco went from his couch to the field to the playoffs with the Browns last year, and that made him a fan favorite despite being a Baltimore Raven earlier in his career.
Then, there is the Nick Chubb injury. That took the air out of the balloon for most of last season. Fans were hoping against hope that Chubb would be ready to go in Week 1.
Finally, no one knows what the Browns will get out of Deshaun Watson. The last two seasons have not been good because of time away for suspension and injury.
The preseason games showed nothing because of the wise decision to keep the starters out. However, fans do not know what to expect from new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey or offensive line coach Andy Dickerson.
Winning cures all so that's what the Browns need to do to overcome an offseason filled with bad news.