Week 1 didn’t exactly hide the Browns’ problems, but it did make one thing pretty clear: if Cleveland wants any juice on offense, KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston need to be on the field.
That was the loudest takeaway from a season opener that otherwise exposed plenty of familiar issues. The Browns managed only 51 offensive plays against the Jaguars, and the passing game still looked stuck in place. But when Cleveland lined up in 11 personnel - one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers - it found its best rhythm by a mile.
According to Next Gen Stats, the Browns posted a 56 percent success rate in 11 personnel, with 34 plays producing 6.38 yards per snap. For comparison, the league average success rate in 2025 was 43.5, per ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi.
The other groupings didn’t come close. Cleveland ran nine plays in 12 personnel and got a 22 percent success rate with 4.67 yards per play.
In 21 personnel, the Browns were at 25 percent success rate and 2 yards per play over four snaps. The numbers only got smaller from there.
That matters because the Browns’ best looks came when their most dangerous young skill players were all on the field together. Concepcion’s debut included special teams work, touches out of the backfield and moments where he made defenders miss in the passing game, even with a fumble mixed in. Boston, meanwhile, was largely used as a decoy while Deshaun Watson rarely pushed the ball downfield, but he still ended the day as the team’s receiving leader and scored Cleveland’s first touchdown of the season on one play.
Jerry Jeudy had chances, too. He ran routes that fit the quarterback well and got himself open on multiple occasions, but Watson couldn’t connect. Jeudy was also the target on the interception Watson threw on the opening drive.
The bigger picture is simple enough. Cleveland has two players now who can alter a game in a hurry, and the offense looks far better when they’re both out there. Add Harold Fannin Jr. working between the numbers as the YAC piece, and the Browns can spread the field instead of leaning on heavier sets that haven’t produced much.
Quinshon Judkins wasn’t efficient in this one, but he remains the workhorse and could still be the most explosive runner on the roster. Even so, there’s not much reason to add another blocker if the run game isn’t getting established anyway.
The Browns also had flashes from rookie offensive linemen Austin Barber and Spencer Fano, but the Week 1 evidence points in the same direction: Concepcion and Boston are too dynamic to sit. Together, they finished with 102 receiving yards and a touchdown on six catches, which was half of Watson’s season-opening output of 205 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Unless something unexpected changes, the offense is going to keep fighting uphill as long as the quarterback situation stays the same. For now, the rookie playmakers and Fannin look like Cleveland’s best path to moving the ball and keeping drives alive.
In Other News...
Todd Monken Sends Clear Message After Browns Silence Early Doubts
The Browns response in Week 2 did more than just get them back in the win column. It also gave Todd Monken a chance to push back on the chatter that followed their opening loss, and he did it by reaching back to a comment from former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Monken acknowledged Clevelands rough performance in Week 1, but he made clear he did not believe one bad afternoon should be treated as the whole story.
What matters now, from the Browns perspective, is turning that point into something more lasting. Monkens message was simple enough: the team has to play better if it wants people to think differently about it, and a single win does not erase the early doubts. Tomlin later answered with humor, but for Cleveland the larger issue remains the same, because the only real way to quiet outside opinions is to stack more Sundays like the one that followed Tampa Bay. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Just Sent Baker Home With A Win Fans Will Debate
The Browns got the kind of result that can calm a week down fast, beating the Buccaneers 23-19 in Week 2 to even their record at 1-1. Deshaun Watson was the clear headliner on the scoreboard side, throwing two touchdown passes and finishing with a 121.9 passer rating while Clevelands defense looked sturdier than it did a week earlier. The win also came with the sort of familiar side plot Browns fans know well, since former quarterback Baker Mayfield was on the other sideline.
Cleveland did enough in the key moments to send Tampa Bay to 0-2, with plays from Denzel Boston among the helpers in a game that had enough back-and-forth to keep it tight. The one area that still left something to be desired was the rushing attack, which never really got going, so the Browns came away with a win that felt encouraging and a little unfinished at the same time. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Secondary Has A New Name Fans May Need To Watch
Clevelands Week 1 loss to Jacksonville exposed plenty of issues on both sides of the ball, but there was at least one young defender worth tracking in the aftermath. Rookie defensive back Emmanuel McNeil-Warren got onto the field for 25 percent of the defensive snaps and more than half of the special teams work, a sign the Browns are willing to get him involved early while they sort through a shaky start.
McNeil-Warren arrives with a versatile skill set and the kind of college production that makes him an intriguing part of the conversation, even if his path to a steady defensive role is still a work in progress. For a Browns secondary looking for answers after an uneven opener, his usage is the sort of development that can matter over time, even if the bigger role is still ahead rather than here now. [Read more 🡒]