Honestly, looking back at the Cleveland Browns 2024 roster feels like studying a car wreck in slow motion. On paper? It was a titan. You had a reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Myles Garrett. You had a wide receiver room that added Jerry Jeudy to Amari Cooper. You even had the "return" of Nick Chubb on the horizon.
Then the season actually started.
It wasn't just bad; it was historically frustrating. A 3-14 finish that basically forced the front office to hit the giant red "REBUILD" button. If you're a Browns fan, 2024 was the year the "win-now" window didn't just close—it was slammed shut and deadbolted.
The Quarterback Carousel Nobody Wanted
The Deshaun Watson era in Cleveland reached a grim milestone in 2024. Before his Week 7 Achilles rupture against the Bengals, Watson was quite literally the lowest-rated passer in the league. He was sacked 33 times in just seven games. Think about that. He was on pace to be hit more than almost any QB in modern history.
When he went down, the vibe in the stadium was... complicated. Some fans actually cheered. It was ugly.
- Deshaun Watson: 1,148 yards, 5 TDs, 3 INTs.
- Jameis Winston: 2,121 yards, 13 TDs, 12 INTs.
- Dorian Thompson-Robinson: 440 yards, 0 TDs, 6 INTs.
Jameis Winston came in and did exactly what Jameis does. He threw for a ton of yards and kept the interception leads busy. He provided the only real spark of the season with that upset win over the Baltimore Ravens, but the "Jameis Experience" is a roller coaster, not a foundation. By the time Bailey Zappe was getting snaps, the season was already over.
The Heartbreak of the Running Game
We have to talk about Nick Chubb. It’s mandatory. Watching him try to come back from that catastrophic 2023 knee injury was the only thing keeping most fans tuned in. He eventually got back on the field, but he wasn't the "Chubb" we remembered. He averaged 3.2 yards per carry.
The explosion was gone.
Jerome Ford did his best, racking up 565 yards, but the offensive line was so decimated by injuries that Jim Brown himself would’ve struggled to find a hole. By the end of the year, Dawand Jones was out with a fractured leg, and Jedrick Wills Jr. was perpetually sidelined. It’s hard to run the ball when your tackles are basically a rotating door of practice squad elevations.
🔗 Read more: Where Was LeBron James Born: The Surprising Truth About the Akron Legend
Defense: The Lone Bright Spot (Sort Of)
Myles Garrett is a freak of nature. Let's just establish that. Even while the team was crumbling around him, he was out there wrecking game plans. He finished the year with double-digit sacks again, though the "elite" status of the unit as a whole took a massive hit because they were on the field for 40 minutes a game.
Jim Schwartz’s scheme relies on pressure. When you aren't scoring points, the defense eventually breaks.
The Defensive Leaders
The secondary actually held up okay. Martin Emerson Jr. and Denzel Ward are still one of the better duos in the AFC, even if the scoreboard didn't always show it. Grant Delpit led the team in tackles with over 110, which usually isn't a great sign—it means the ball is getting past the line of scrimmage way too often.
- Grant Delpit: 111 Total Tackles
- Martin Emerson: 80 Total Tackles
- Jordan Hicks: 78 Total Tackles
One of the few surprises was Devin Bush. Most people thought he was a "washed" veteran signing, but he actually turned into a reliable starter at linebacker after the team lost several guys to the IR.
The Jerry Jeudy Experiment
Cleveland traded for Jerry Jeudy hoping he’d be the perfect Robin to Amari Cooper’s Batman. Then they traded Cooper to the Bills mid-season, and Jeudy suddenly became the Only Hope.
He actually put up numbers. 1,229 yards on 90 catches is a legit season. But most of that felt like "empty calories"—garbage time stats when the Browns were already down by three scores. Cedric Tillman showed some flashes late in the year, which is basically the only reason anyone is optimistic about the WR room heading into 2025.
What Most People Get Wrong About 2024
People love to blame the coaching. "Kevin Stefanski lost the locker room." Honestly? I don't buy it. You can't coach your way out of losing your $230 million QB, your Hall of Fame-track RB, and your entire starting offensive line.
The Cleveland Browns 2024 roster was a house of cards. The second the wind blew—in the form of injuries—it collapsed. The real failure wasn't the coaching; it was the depth. The drop-off from the starters to the backups was a chasm.
Actionable Insights for the Offseason
If the Browns want to avoid a repeat of this disaster, the path is pretty clear, though painful:
- Quarterback Reset: You cannot go into 2025 betting on Watson's health or performance. They have the #2 pick in the draft. Use it.
- O-Line Overhaul: Protecting the QB isn't a luxury; it's a necessity. They need a Day 1 starter at Tackle.
- Acknowledge the Chubb Era is Over: As painful as it is, Nick Chubb signing with the Texans in the 2025 offseason (as rumors suggest) might be the clean break the franchise needs to stop living in the past.
The 2024 season was a hard lesson in NFL reality. Star power doesn't matter if those stars are in the trainer's room. Cleveland is now looking at a total teardown, and frankly, it's about time.